NTCOSS News Sheet January 2010
NTCOSS NEWS SHEET – January 2010
Australia Day traditionally marks the end of the holiday season and the commencement of serious business. The year ahead is likely to be a lively one on the political front, with pundits suggesting that a federal election may be held sometime in October/November. Locally, the Henderson Government will continue to pursue its legislative program, even while it relies on the support of the independent member for Nelson, Gerry Wood, who holds the balance of power.
NTCOSS Submission to Senate Committee
NTCOSS has made a detailed submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee which is enquiring into the federal government’s proposed amendments to the Northern Territory Emergency Response Legislation. If the new legislation goes ahead then income management will be introduced right across the NT from July of this year. We are concerned that Minister Macklin has not demonstrated that income management has been effective on remote Aboriginal communities, and we have grave reservations about its extension. NTCOSS supports the ACOSS position, which is that the $352 million the government proposes to spend on administering the scheme, could be better used providing more effective services for vulnerable Territorians. The upcoming NTCOSS newsletter will examine the government’s proposals in more detail.
Media
While January is traditionally a very quiet time of year for media, NTCOSS has been successful in attracting media coverage of our concerns in respect to Minister Macklin’s proposed extension of the income management scheme in the Northern Territory. We had two letters published in the NT news reflecting our reservations, and Wendy did a radio interview for ABC which was broadcast in both Darwin and Alice Springs. In regard to other issues, Wendy did an ABC radio interview expressing concern at the apparent under-resourcing of the child protection services within the Department of Family and Community Services. In Alice Springs, Jonathan Pilbrow did a radio interview for ABC drawing attention to the fact that adverse weather makes things very difficult for homeless people who are sleeping rough.
Central Australia
Central Australian Policy Officer Jonathan Pilbrow reports that little progress has been made in assisting children from town camps to access bus services to school. Agencies have again identified that children from town camps are missing out on school, or are not being enrolled, because of the lack of regular transport. Despite the provision of additional bus stops for children from Town Camps in early 2009, little additional support has been put in place, so the situation remains basically unchanged. NTCOSS will continue to work with NGO’s and Government on this critical issue.
Training Opportunities
The Community Sector Workforce Development Strategy will be offering a range of free training sessions at locations across the NT during the first half of this year. The topics to be covered will include the prevention of bullying in the workplace, and the financial aspects of staff recruitment, including salaries and on-costs. Watch out also for Skill-swap breakfasts: These will be informal gatherings around broad workforce issues, which will take advantage of the existing skills of experienced practitioners, and provide opportunities for the mentoring of new staff.
Regards from the NTCOSS crew