NTCOSS Monthly Newsheet
NTCOSS Monthly Newsheet – February 2009
The Rudd Government’s economic stimulus package dominates the headlines, as the effects of the global financial crisis begin to hit home. ACOSS has called for the package to include an increase in unemployment benefit of $30 per week, so that the most disadvantaged Australians will receive some assistance. Meanwhile, on the local front, here is the news from NTCOSS for February:
2030 Submission to NT Government
NTCOSS has prepared a 2030 submission calling on the NT Government to consider the circumstances of the most disadvantaged Territorians, and to plan across the whole-of-government to actively assist these people. We have recommended that the NT Government adopt a system of ‘social impact statements’ to ensure that disadvantaged Territorians are considered across all policy areas. A copy of the submission is up on our website at http://www.ntcoss.org.au/ The NT Mental Health Coalition will also be providing a detailed submission to the 2030 steering committee
Community Sector Workforce Toolkit
Our recently produced Community Sector Workforce Toolkit offers community organisations a user-friendly guide to advertising vacancies, interviewing applicants, and undertaking workforce planning. All member organisations will receive a copy soon.
ACOSS Conference
A small contingent from NTCOSS will attend the 2009 ACOSS National Conference in early April. Entitled Building a fair Australia in tough economic times, the conference will examine the impact of the economic downturn on fairness in Australia, and consider how policymakers and the community sector should respond. See http://users.tpg.com.au/adsl444m/bulletinfinal.htm
Meeting with the Chief Minister
NTCOSS, together with some of our larger member organisations, met with the Chief Minister to discuss the impact of the global financial crisis. This productive meeting helped to build the profile of NTCOSS with Government.
Media Exposure
NTCOSS has been successful in gaining media exposure around the need for improved school-bus transport in Alice Springs, with Central Australian Policy Officer, Jonathan Pilbrow, doing a radio interview with CAAMA. Additionally, our call to make the new City of Weddell a ‘social justice city’ was picked up in the NT News. I followed this up with an ABC radio interview.
NTCOSS President, Barry Hansen, and St Vincent De Paul CEO, Janet Buhagiar, also did radio interviews on the federal government’s stimulus package.
In March, we will be publishing a more detailed NTCOSS newsletter, but I will continue to provide you with these monthly one-pagers to help you keep up to date with what is happening
Regards
Wendy Morton
Executive Director
NTCOSS
NT Council of Social Service Inc
PO Box 1128, Nightcliff, NT 0814
Ph: 8948 2665
Fax: 8948 4590
email: admin@ntcoss.org.au
Source:
NTCOSS
Contact Name:
Graham Ring
Contact Phone:
08 8948 2665
Contact Fax:
08 8948 4590
Contact Email:
graham@ntcoss.org.au