The package of legislation, including bills to establish the Housing Australia Future Fund and the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, represents a start to addressing housing affordability. Yet the measures proposed do not match the scale of the housing crisis. In this submission, Anglicare Australia argues there is much that can still be done to strengthen the legislative package, and help end the undersupply of affordable housing.
Submission to the Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services
In this submission, we summarise our recent report Obligation without Opportunity, calling on the Australian Government to overhaul employment services, which are failing to place Australians in need into work. Mutual obligation has failed to make an impact on employment, and for many people, it acts as a barrier to finding secure work. We also recommend making employment services voluntary and ending dependence on for-profit providers.
Submission on Legislating the Objective of Super
Anglicare Australia supports the proposed objective of superannuation in the consultation paper. The proposed definition recognises that superannuation is about providing income for a dignified retirement, not about wealth generation, or accumulation of a nest egg to pass on after death. The inclusion of the concepts of equity and sustainability are in line with Anglicare Australia’s values and advocacy. But there is work to be done to ensure the superannuation system meets this worthy objective, including reforming superannuation taxation concessions and supporting people who do not own their home in retirement.
Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Cost of living
Australians have faced a tough and tumultuous few years. Many were expecting the economic pain of
the pandemic to fade relatively quickly as the economy snapped back. But a cost of living crisis has
prolonged the pain for many Australian households.
24/7 Registered Nurses in Aged Care – submission to subordinate legislation
In this response to the Exposure Draft and Explanatory Statement – Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Registered Nurses) 2023, Anglicare Australia highlights the workforce crisis facing aged care services, the need for the regulator to take a proportionate response to compliance, and recommends more discretion in the granting of exemptions around 24/7 registered nurse requirements.
Submission to the Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme
The Royal Commission has played a vital role in exposing how the Robodebt Scheme was created and overseen, and has been delivering accountability for the Scheme’s victims.
This submission focuses on the lessons the Robodebt Scheme offers for the future, and practices that continue in compliance and debt collection.
Submission to the Select Committee on Australia’s Disaster Resilience
As our climate changes, natural disasters and emergencies are likely to become more frequent and more extreme. In this submission we call on the Government to recognise community service organisations as vital partners in preparedness, response and recovery from emergencies, provide more flexible contingency funding to meet community need after a disaster, fund disaster readiness, and support volunteer capacity.
Submission to the Inquiry into the Extent and Nature of Poverty in Australia
This submission calls for an immediate increase to social security payments,to lift people out of poverty and action to address the crisis in affordable housing that is driving many people into poverty.
Submission to the National Energy Performance Strategy
In this submission we call on the Australian Government to invest in measures that will reduce emissions, benefit rental and low-income households and make sure the benefits are felt fairly across the community. The Government can ensure that no one is left behind, and that those least able to afford it are not left to bear the cost of ageing infrastructure and soaring energy prices, while also taking strides to transition Australia into a clean energy economy.
Submission on Measuring What Matters
A truly prospering society is not only one where everyone can access the basics of food, housing and a liveable income, but also where people are happy and healthy. Yet in reality, Australia is facing growing inequality, with the cost of living rising faster than wages or income support payments. If we do not change course, we risk leaving many Australians behind and denying them a stake in our prosperity, and indeed in compromising that prosperity for all.
In this submission, Anglicare Australia commends the government’s commitment to creating a Wellbeing Framework to prioritise equitable, sustainable, and holistic outcomes over economic growth. It also recommends the inclusion of indicators that focus on equity gaps, considering lived experience in design and consultation, and ensuring effective oversight and accountability.