The community service sector is vital to supporting resilient and thriving Queensland communities. From providing places of connection, to supporting the fabric of communities in crisis, community organisations are there when Queenslanders need them the most. Our sector is ensures that equality, opportunity, and wellbeing is a reality for all Queenslanders.

The community services sector is part of the largest employer group in Queensland. There are more than 131,000 dedicated staff working across more than 8,500 charities. Our essential work is supported by more than 328,000 volunteers.

With the 2032 Olympics on the horizon, the coming decade presents an invaluable opportunity to create a legacy where all Queenslanders have access to new opportunities. The economic transformation that the Olympics brings our state should ensure that no Queenslander is left behind, that gender inequality is addressed and that everyone has a roof over their head.

The Queensland government must invest in strategic, long-term initiatives that reduces homelessness and inequality. These investments should aim to strengthen the community services sector, end the housing crisis, bridge the digital divide, expand low-income households’ access to the renewable energy transformation and eliminate gender inequality and the gender pay gap.

1. A viable and human rights respecting community services sector: embrace a transparent and appropriate model to calculate indexation, ensuring funding of community services reflects increased costs and invest in building the capacity of the community services sector to contribute to creating a human rights respecting culture in Queensland.
2. Invest in Queensland’s youth services: invest $26.3 million to establish a service system response to children under 14 who are in contact with the criminal justice system.
3. End Queensland’s housing crisis: develop a whole of government plan, coupled with sufficient investment, to ensure every Queenslander has a roof over their head by 2032.
4. Advance women’s equality: invest in community service organisations to support women’s economic security in a predominantly female workforce, implement a gender-responsive approach to the development of the State Budget by establishing a dedicated unit in Treasury and embed gender equality principles and practices into the Queensland Government’s procurement activities.
5. Help low-income households access the energy transformation: ensure solar and other new technologies are accessible to renters and low-income households.
6. Reduce digital disadvantage: increase funding for digital literacy programs to evolve and scale existing successful programs and develop new programs targeting other digitally excluded people.
7. Giving all children a good start: an early intervention strategy should be developed by the Queensland Government, with long-term funding for initiatives that provide direct community-based services to children (0 to 5 years old), such as place-based child and family hubs.