QCOSS welcomes the establishment of the Not-For-Profit Sector Expert Reference Panel and the development of the Not-For-Profit Blueprint to ensure a strong future for Australian charities.

The social service sector is at the heart of every community across Queensland. We are part of the largest employer group in Queensland, with more than 174,000 dedicated staff working across more than 8,500 charities. The sector’s essential work is supported by more than 369,000 volunteers.

As the peak body for the social service sector in Queensland we actively engage with community service organisations through a variety of channels. This includes holding annual Town Hall meetings across Queensland, surveys, networks, and ongoing one-on-one engagement with QCOSS member organisations. Annually, we summarise the data collected through this engagement in the State of the Sector report, highlighting issues impacting the sector. The 2022 State of the Sector Report is available here.

Our response to a selection of the consultation questions is informed by our engagement with Queensland community services.

Responding to the issues paper, our submission focusses on the following questions:

• 2.1.1 – What is your vision or aspiration for the NFP sector over the next 10 years?
• 3.1.4 – What role should government play in helping NFPs become data capable and informed by evidence?
• 4.1.1 – How can the role of advocacy by NFP organisations be better embedded and preserved in policy and legislation?
• 7.1.3 – How can we make employment opportunities attractive and build career pathways to develop the paid NFP workforce of the future?
• 8.1.1 – How should government improve the way it funds and contracts charities?
• 8.1.2 – How could government funding, tendering and contracting drive a good balance of collaboration and competition to support innovation in the NFP sector?
• 9.1.3 – What is needed and what is the sector’s role in advocating for digital inclusion and participation of citizens and communities?