Anglicare Australia regularly makes formal submissions to public inquiries, drawing on the work of our member organisations and advocating for those we work with.
Submission to Public Consultation to Help Inform a Possible ‘Commissioning’ Approach for Parts of the SIL Market
Anglicare Australia welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the consultation to help inform a possible commissioning approach for part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Supported Independent Living (SIL) market. We consider this approach an opportunity to strengthen SIL by ensuring need is met through high-quality, safe services, and by the Government jointly planning housing and care via a co-commissioning model.
Submission to Exposure Draft Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2026: Minimum Tax on Discretionary Trusts
Anglicare Australia welcomes the release of the Exposure Draft Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2026: Minimum Tax on Discretionary Trusts, and the opportunity to comment on the proposed measures. We strongly support the proposed measures. We have long advocated for increasing tax on discretionary trusts, alongside changes to the capital gains discount and negative gearing settings, as parts of a broader reform agenda to reduce economic inequality in Australia.
Submission to Income Management Instrument review
Since the inception of compulsory income management, Anglicare Australia has opposed its use as needlessly punitive and warned against its harms. Our position remains unchanged. Evidence shows the scheme’s fallibility and that it ultimately continues to perpetrate harm on communities, despite the Government having removed some aspects of the system in recent years. Anglicare Australia does not support maintaining the legislative instrument that allows the Government to continue imposing compulsory income management schemes on vulnerable people and communities. Instead, the Government should take this opportunity to enact its pledge to abolish the compulsory nature of the schemes.
Submission to Support at Home Program Inquiry
Anglicare Australia supports the objectives of Support at Home (SaH) and recognises its potential to improve the delivery of aged care in the home. However, the delivery of SaH has also highlighted a range of operational and policy challenges that risk limiting the program’s effectiveness. Through our direct service delivery experience, providers within the Anglicare Australia network have identified concerns relating to assessment outcomes, wait times, participant contributions, access to Assistive Technology and Home Modifications, financial hardship arrangements, and the interaction between SaH and other parts of the aged care system.
Submission to Relational Contracting Consultation on Foundational Documents
We strongly support the commitment of the Department of Social Services (DSS) to exploring new approaches to funding and partnering with the community sector, and recognise the significant effort that has been invested in developing the draft Shell Agreement, Governance Framework, Decision Matrix, and supporting implementation materials. This submission focuses on three strategic issues that Anglicare Australia considers fundamental to the long-term success of relational contracting, which are ensuring that: ▪ implementation is supported by a robust process of testing, learning, and refinement ▪ the model can operate effectively across multi-provider delivery arrangements ▪ community voice and lived experience are meaningfully reflected
Submission on the Second Action Plan (National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032)
The Second Action Plan is an important opportunity to improve efforts across all sectors to eliminate violence against women and children, strengthen implementation and ensure national resources are directed towards areas where they can achieve the greatest impact. Throughout this submission, Anglicare Australia calls on the Federal Government to strengthen its focus on primary prevention and early intervention, while improving coordination across all relevant sectors. A more connected and effective response system is essential to ensure that no person seeking support for DFSV falls through the gaps and we progress towards the national goal of achieving a society free from DFSV.
Submission to the Shaping the future of employment services consultation
The Government’s stated new aim of three streams, each with varying levels of intensity of supports, must be structured correctly lest they find themselves repeating the current failed system. If the new intensive support stream is going to be successful, it must ensure that providers prioritise long-term re-skilling and preparedness for the workforce. This reform process can and should be more than minor changes to a broken system – it must be root and branch restructuring of how employment service providers operate.
Submission to Senate Inquiry on the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 and National Self-Exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026
In recent years, gambling has become a key focus of media and public discourse. Following the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs release of its final report from the inquiry into online gambling and it’s impacts on those experiencing gambling harm (the Murphy Report), the Government has dragged its feet on responding to the recommendations of the report and enacting the kinds of reforms to gambling advertising that Australians have been crying out for. In this submission, Anglicare Australia calls for the Government to go further and enact all the recommendations of the Murphy Report, not just the few contained in this legislation.
Submission to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 and Related Legislation
In this submission Anglicare Australia called for Senators and Members of Parliament to support the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No.1) Bill 2026 and promptly pass these important reforms. These reforms will create a fairer and more sustainable housing system, giving first-home buyers a better chance of securing stable and affordable housing.
Submission to Senate Inquiry on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was first conceptualised, it was intended to assist those with the most complex needs to receive the support, choice and control they needed to enjoy fulfilling lives. For hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability, it has achieved precisely that. Yet for years now, the NDIS has come under increasing attack and scrutiny for its rising costs, leading to calls for dramatic reforms and reductions in funding to ensure the Scheme’s longevity.
Submission to the Select Committee on Intergenerational Housing Inequity
This submission argues that intergenerational housing inequity is not simply the result of demographic change or market conditions, but of policy choices that have reshaped the housing system over time. In particular, it shows how Australia has moved away from directly providing housing and toward subsidising private investment, and how tax settings have reinforced this shift by privileging wealth accumulation over income from work.
Submission to Alcohol and Drug Program Consultation – Phase 1
The impacts of alcohol and other drug use are also felt right across the Anglicare Australia Network. Our services support individuals and families affected by AOD through mental health programs, family and relationship services, housing and homelessness services, and emergency relief. This extensive experience and widespread impact is testament to the need for AOD services and greater support for those affected. Anglicare Australia supports efforts to redesign the Drug and Alcohol Program. However, we recommend that the draft program logic and KPIs be strengthened to better recognise unmet treatment need, improve early identification and help-seeking, ensure services work across sectors, and address the specific barriers faced by First Nations communities.
Submission on the Transition of the CHSP to the Support at Home Program
Anglicare Australia supports the intent of aged care reform and recognises the potential benefits of transitioning the CHSP into Support at Home, including greater system coherence and improved coordination of care. However, we are concerned that transition under current policy and funding settings risks destabilising entry-level aged care services and undermining continuity of care for hundreds of thousands of older Australians. This submission argues that the transition of the CHSP must be staged and conditional on system readiness.
2026-27 Pre-Budget Submission
Anglicare Australia’s Budget submission sets out a clear, evidence-based agenda to restore fairness, resilience and sustainability.
Submission on Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system
Australia’s youth justice system is in crisis. The ideal that our justice system is built on fairness and equality before the law is failing, if it was ever true, especially for children and young people. Anglicare Australia urges to the Committee to recognise the need for nationally led reform that works to make our youth justice system one that upholds human rights, promotes consistent standards and invests in the underlying drivers of disadvantage.
Submission of the Operation of the Capital Gains Tax Discount
This submission argues that the capital gains tax discount has contributed to making home ownership increasingly unaffordable for many Australians while pushing low-income renters to the margins of the housing market. It recommends gradually phasing out both the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing to reduce upward pressure on house prices and rebalance the housing market toward access and security rather than wealth accumulation. It also recommends that the government implement these reforms as part of a broader tax equity agenda and reinvest the additional revenue in public and community housing.
Submission on A New Approach to Programs for Families and Children
Anglicare Australia supports the Government’s ambition to design a more coordinated, flexible and coherent system for families and children’s programs. However, we are concerned that several elements of the proposed model risk falling short of that ambition. Without a stronger focus on inclusion, diversity, local need, and the rights of children, and without clear transition planning, there is a risk that families will face disruption rather than improved support.
Submission on Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025
This Bill takes welcome steps in updating outdated waiver provisions and recognising the reality of family and domestic violence in the debt system. These reforms will improve fairness and restore some dignity to people caught up in debt recovery. However, the income apportionment resolution scheme, as drafted, risks repeating the injustices it seeks to resolve. Anglicare Australia calls on the Committee to strengthen the Bill by ensuring that people are properly compensated for their losses, by rejecting retrospective lawmaking, and by restoring a statute of limitations on debts.
Submission to Inquiry into Aged care service delivery
Anglicare Australia thanks the Committee for the opportunity to make this submission and its work to understand the impact of the delay on older Australians, their families and the aged care sector.
Submission to the Economic Reform Roundtable
The best way to achieve the goals of this Roundtable is by making real investments in every Australian’s ability to make a meaningful and fulfilling contribution. In the previous term, the Government began exploring measuring economic performance through indicators beyond gross domestic product and the inflation rate, such as equity, happiness and social inclusion.
Submission to review of the Transition to Independent Living Allowance
The Transition to Independent Living Allowance was designed with the goal to help young people leaving formal care achieve long lasting positive outcomes. This review presents a critical opportunity to improve financial support for young people leaving care and ensure that they have the best possible chance of transitioning well to independent living.
Submission to the review of Foster, kinship and permanent carers allowances
The review of the foster, kinship and permanent carers allowances, alongside other reviews currently being undertaken on the Out-of-Home Care system, provides an opportunity to enforce meaningful change for children in care and their carers.
Submission to the Refresh of the National Out-of-Home Care Standards
This submission makes recommendations to strengthen the National Out-of-Home Care Standards by improving measurement and reporting, the co-design and inclusion of children and young people, and support to children, families and care leavers.
Submission on Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025
This Act strengthens the ability of families and communities around Australia to lay foundations for child development that lead to lifelong learning, increased engagement, and better outcomes in health, employment and education later in life. Anglicare Australia has long advocated for the removal of the Child Care Subsidy activity test, and we welcome the provisions of the Act which guarantee three days of universal early childhood education and care.
Submission on Buy Now Pay Later – Draft Regulations 2025
While Anglicare Australia believes there is a place for BNPL products, many Australians on low incomes or in financial hardship have turned to these products to pay for essentials, such as groceries and utilities. We welcome the proposed draft Regulations, which provide for capping of fees for low cost credit contracts. Further, we support amendments that require BNPL providers to undertake reasonable inquiries about the consumer’s ability to borrow.
Pre- Budget Submission 2025-26
A home, a decent income, and dignity in old age are things that every Australian deserves. Each of these areas are critical to making life better for all Australians. We urge the Government to address these issues in its next Federal Budget, and ensure that the next term of Government creates a mandate to take on the issues facing our nation
Submission on Automated Decision-Making Reform
Anglicare Australia remains concerned about the use of systems that remove human oversight within government services. In the instance of the Robodebt Scheme, the unregulated and careless use of automated decision-making (ADM) processes contributed directly to the extremely poor treatment of people receiving social security payments. However, in the face of increasing technological evolution we recognise the necessity of discussing options for automation and in pursuing harmonisation of existing provisions, governments must remain alert to the risk faced by individuals in circumstances of wrong decision-making.
Submission on Australia’s Future Tax System
Anglicare Australia believes that parents and children should be supported. The responsibility involved in caring for children should be valued in and of itself. Anglicare Australia maintains significant concerns about the ParentsNext program, which is mandatory for some people living on Parenting Payment. These relate to the compulsory nature of the program and its punitive and disproportionate Targeted Compliance Framework. Anglicare Australia calls for the Targeted Compliance Framework to be abolished, and recommends that the ParentsNext program be redesigned as voluntary and person-centred pre-employment support program.
Submission to National Housing and Homelessness Plan Bill
Anglicare Australia’s submission to Department of Social Services National Housing and Homelessness Plan consultation expressed our hope for the Plan to become a foundational document in Australia’s fight against the housing crisis. Legislating the preparation and monitoring of a Plan will ensure we achieve that. The Bill will enable Australians to hold governments accountable for their decisions on housing by introducing a formal yardstick to measure their action on this crisis, ensuring the Plan doesn’t become yet another well-meaning but forgotten document.
Submission to Review of Australia’s Disability Strategy
It is vital that all levels of government understand the importance of Australia’s Disability Strategy and take appropriate action to integrate the Strategy into decision making and policy settings. As the Federal Government undertakes a number of critical reforms within the disability sector, it has never been more important that the Strategy is functioning and that we are doing the utmost to improve the lives of people with disability in Australia.
Submission to inquiry into Australia’s financial regulatory framework and home ownership
Home ownership is a cornerstone of the Australia’s social security and retirement systems. Yet for many Australians, home ownership continues to slip further out of reach. In many instances people have written off the possibility entirely. House prices have continued to grow at a rate that has outstripped wages. This hasn’t happened by accident. For decades Australian governments have walked away from a direct interest in supporting housing and homeownership. Through tax incentives, such as negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, many ordinary Australians are being locked out of home ownership because they are unable to compete.
Submission to the Inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024 [Provisions]
Broadly speaking, Anglicare Australia encourages the Committee to support the introduction of the Bill. We note that there are several aspects of the Bill which are of concern, and we encourage the Committee to give these areas greater consideration.
Submission on the new specialist disability employment program
The introduction of a new specialist disability employment program provides us with an opportunity correct these issues and create long-lasting, positive change to the lives of people with disability. One of the of the underlying flaws with the program is that for much of its existence it has prioritised reducing welfare dependency for people with disability over empowering them to find and sustain employment that provides them with financial security, greater independence, and individual fulfillment. As a result, people with disability are often pushed into any job with little regard for how sustainable, appropriate, or beneficial the employment opportunity is for them or the employer.
Submission to the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Review
One of the biggest challenges for digital connectivity in regional areas is a lack of reliable service, especially for mobile data. Connections are often weak, slow and inconsistent. As an increasing number of everyday activities move online – like banking, education, and even booking or attending a doctor’s appointment – the absence of reliable telecommunication services in regional and rural Australia is fostering continued inequity.
Submission on Quality Indicators for in-home aged care
Frameworks such as a Quality Indicator (QI) Program can play an important role in supporting aged care providers to build cultures of quality and safety within their organisations, better enabling them to improve the quality of care. Yet too often these measures fail to capture meaningful information and place additional regulatory burden on the sector. To enable service enhancement, a QI Program needs to use consumer-driven indicators that measure factors within the scope of control for care providers.
Submission to the Draft National Urban Policy
As Australia continues to grow and our urban areas continue to expand, it will become increasingly important to take a holistic view of our communities, how we live, and what our quality of life continues to look like.
Submission to Responsible Buy Now Pay Later Bill 2024
Whilst the Government has taken significant steps forward with this Bill to improve regulation of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products and increase consumer protections. This Bills fails to address the distortion that BNPL products cause to the credit market or provide people with enough protections from the harms caused by these products. Anglicare Australia recommend that the Bill be amended to ensure that BNPL products are treated and used in the same way as all other credit products.
Submission on the Draft National Autism Strategy
This submission explores the structural barriers to financial security that are faced by people with Autism, demonstrating the negative impact that an inadequate and inaccessible income support system has on people with Autism. Ultimately, highlighting the critical role the Government has in supporting people with Autism if we are to create real, positive change.
Submission to the Inquiry into Compulsory Income Management
There is no credible evidence that compulsory income management reduces hardship and deprivation, or social harms due to alcohol and drugs. In spite of this, there has been over a decade and a half of expansion of this approach to regions across Australia, entrenching a policy without proving that it works. For years, Anglicare Australia has joined other social service organisations and First Nations communities in calling for an immediate end to compulsory income management. We reiterate that call in this submission.
Submission on the Electricity and Energy Sector Plan
As Australia has moved towards a decarbonised economy, the focus has been on changes that consumers can make to reduce their individual footprint. It is important to ensure that this focus on individual action does not evolve to penalising those without the means to invest in efficiency. Unless governments act to provide options for people facing structural or financial barriers, then only those with the means to invest will see the benefits. The Electricity and Energy Sector Plan must therefore place equity at its core.
Submission on the refresh of the National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions
The ability for people to prevent and manage chronic conditions is directly impacted by poverty. Ensuring people are supported regardless of their circumstances is crucial to improving health outcomes. This can be done by taking action to reduce poverty, for example, by lifting the rate of income support payments above the poverty line.
Submission to Build-to-rent tax concessions Exposure draft
Tackling Australia’s housing crisis requires governments to utilise all the levers at their disposal to promote affordability. The draft legislation and explanatory materials propose a market-based approach to assessing affordability. This is entirely inadequate. Affordable housing should be defined with an income-based approach, not a market-based one.
Submission to A new Aged Care Act: Exposure Draft
Anglicare Australia believes that every person has the right to dignity and quality of life as they age. The introduction of a new Aged Care Act provides us with an opportunity to transform Australia’s current aged care system and ensure we are doing our best to ensure the system is sustainable, meets the needs of those within the system, and recognises the rights of older people. In this submission, we call for greater support in developing a robust, sustainable and equitable legislative framework for all actors in the system
Submission on the draft Early Years Strategy
In this submission, Anglicare Australia recommends that the draft Strategy be amended to include the alleviation of poverty as part of the proposed Priority Focus Areas. This should be accompanied by actions to raise the income of caregivers above the poverty line and build more social housing.
Submission to Superannuation in retirement
As Australia’s population continues to get older and the average person lives longer, it is critical that the retirement income system is sustainable for the long-term and for a long time. Older Australians need to know that they will be guaranteed a secure retirement. With superannuation and the Age Pension as the two main sources of retirement income, it is critical that information and education is clear and available, laying out the expectations and options for older Australians within the retirement income system.
Pre-Budget Submission 2024-25
At a time where the nation is facing growing inequality, and where the cost of living is rising much faster than wages or income support payments the upcoming Federal Budget will play a critical role in equipping our country for the future. In this submission Anglicare Australia provides recommendations focused on tackling these issues over the long-term with a plan to build social housing, reforms to make the tax system fairer, an overhaul of the employment services system, and action to lift Australians out of poverty. We also make recommendations to provide targeted assistance to people and the community services that support them in the shorter term as the country continues to cope with rising living costs.
Submission to the Review of Financial Wellbeing and Capability programs
As Australia continues to grapple with a cost-of-living crisis, the financial pressure on Australians is growing with an increasing amount of individuals and households experiencing financial distress. As the cost of basic necessities, like food, energy and housing, continue to rise but wage growth remains sluggish and unable to keep up, many people will be left behind without proper support. This is where financial wellbeing services play a vital role. This submission makes recommendations focused on supporting vulnerable Australians in a way that is robust and flexible enough to adapt to new challenges and emerging client types as living costs continue to rise.
Submission on the 2024-25 Jobs and Skills Australia Workplan
In this submission Anglicare Australia advocatess for skills shortages and labour market forecasting to be considered as key areas of focus in the next Jobs and Skills Australia Workplan. We call for better connections between the work of Jobs and Skills Australia and the employment service framework for people currently out of work, who could be better utilised to address some of Australia’s pressing workforce challenges.
Submission on a COVID-19 Royal Commission
Anglicare Australia believes a Royal Commission would provide a crucial opportunity to learn from the handling of the pandemic at every level of Government and apply those findings to the ongoing management of COVID-19 and any future pandemics. This submission makes suggestions on the terms of reference for a Royal Commission, which have been developed by drawing on our insights from working with those most vulnerable to the health and economic impacts of the pandemic, and experience operating essential services such as aged care, childcare, disability services, and emergency relief.
Submission to the Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint Issues Paper
It is important that community services continue to have adequate secure funding streams to carry out their work. Community organisations need certainty in funding to provide critical support services, yet this has been an ongoing struggle for many in the Anglicare Australia Network and similar organisations across the country. Government contracting procedures, across state, territory and local governments have made funding streams complex and interacting with them time consuming. Further, we should not and cannot rely on private, philanthropic investment to provide the support that must be the domain of government.
Submission to the A stronger, more diverse and independent community sector issues paper
Anglicare Australia believes that the creation of a fairer society depends on a strong community sector. Community services are both a universal entitlement and a safety net, ensuring that everybody has a stake and everybody counts. Anglicare Australia makes this submission on behalf of our members, and people who use their services.
Submission to the National Housing and Homelessness Plan
In this submission Anglicare Australia points to our Network’s key insights and analysis and draws together current intelligence from network members working with people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. We make recommendations to make renting more secure and more affordable. We are hopeful that the National Housing and Homelessness Plan can serve as a foundational document in combating, and ultimately ending, the housing crisis in the years to come. By coordinating federal, state and territory, and local governments action, Australia can move towards a more integrated housing eco-system that ensures every Australian can find an affordable home where they want to live.
Submission on the foundations of the new Aged Care Act
Anglicare Australia strongly supports the development of a rights-based Act. We welcome the inclusion of rights to exercise choice and receive dignity of risk, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory treatment. Some of our recommendations include: expanding the second proposed right, from equitable access to aged care assessment to include equitable access to aged care services ensuring ongoing commitment to education and skills development around rights-based practice clarifying the homelessness threshold criteria to ensure access to aged care services for people aged 50-64 with histories of chronic homelessness ensuring that there is a well-resourced Commission and a strong regulatory framework that achieves a balance between protecting the rights, safety and wellbeing of those accessing services, while also encouraging provider innovation and culture change where necessary.
Submission to the Pricing Framework for Residential Aged Care Services 2024-25
Fair and sustainable pricing is one of the enablers of a system that can deliver high quality of care. In our submission to the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority’s (IHACPA) Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Residential Aged Care Services 2024-25 we recognise that getting the classification and assessment processes right is so important to making sure people receive the level and mix of high-quality care they need, in a timely way, and that no-one is being excluded from the system. We draw IHACPA’s attention to areas where further work and consideration is needed, including around allied health and lifestyle and pastoral care; respite and palliative care; the development of the indexation formula and adjustments for regional service delivery.
Submission to the Aged Care Financial Sustainability Taskforce
In this submission we recommend the Taskforce consider building a sustainable and fair funding base for aged care, including by changes to the overly generous tax treatment of superannuation, and to how housing wealth is assessed in means testing of aged care services. The funding system should be simpler and easier to understand, for older Australians and the community in general, and it should operate in a way that enables and encourages providers to invest in high quality and innovative models of service delivery.
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the worsening rental crisis in Australia
Once, renting was seen as a temporary housing solution – a stopgap between leaving home and buying your first property. It is now clear that more and more Australians will rent for life. Yet renting in Australia has never been less affordable. It is time for our legal and regulatory framework to adapt to that change, enshrining protections for renters and limiting unfair rent increases that have driven unaffordability. The Federal Government must also reclaim its role in supplying housing. Solving this crisis will require sustained and long-term commitment to improving Australia’s housing market. Our hope is that this inquiry will provide the Government with a blueprint for a better Australia.
Submission to the National Health and Climate Strategy
Climate change is impacting people’s health, quality of life, livelihoods and ability to make ends meet financially. These stark realities underscore the importance of the proposed Strategy, which presents an opportunity to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change while improving health and wellbeing outcomes for all Australians. This submission supports the Strategy’s committment to health in all policies, and calls for additional focus on equity and intergenerational justice.
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Strengthening the Safety Net Bill
For years, Anglicare Australia has called for working age payments to be raised above the poverty line. Although the measures in the Bill fall short of that call, we supported the Bill as an immediate means of helping Australians struggling to make ends meet. In this submission we called on the Committee to recommend passing the Bill, but to also recognise that the work of tackling poverty, making sure everyone has a safe and secure place to live and strengthening the safety net is far from done.
Submission on the draft National Care and Support Economy Strategy
In this submission, Anglicare Australia welcomed the timely consideration of a long-term vision for Australia’s care and support system. The submission takes as its starting point for the provision of care a commitment to providing the essential support, and the opportunity to flourish, for all members of our society. But while we welcome many of the goals and objectives proposed in the Draft Strategy, we question the presumptions of market efficiency and productivity that underlie it.
Submission of Measuring What Matters – Second Consultation Phase
Anglicare Australia recommends strengthening the Wellbeing Framework by incorporating indicators that evaluate digital inclusion, wealth inequality, access to a safe and secure home, and the establishment of a nationwide definition of poverty.
Submission to the Productivity Commission’s Review of Philanthropy
Anglicare Australia believes that philanthropy provides an important source of additional funding for community service organisations. However, any reforms to encourage philanthropic giving or changes to the tax treatment of donations should be designed to complement stable funding for essential services, not replace it. We also encourage the Government to: (1) simplify and extend the availability of Deductible Gift Recipient status to all charities registered with the ACNC, (2) improve access to concessions for charities, including Fringe Benefits Tax Exemptions.
Submission to the Early Years Engagement Unit on The Early Years Strategy
All children should be able to grow and thrive in a safe and supportive environment. Yet, one in six children across Australia live in poverty, with long-term detrimental impacts on their education, health, wellbeing and future. But child poverty isn’t inevitable, it is a policy choice. This submission calls for an immediate increase to social security payments to lift children and their families out of poverty, investment in social and affordable housing to address the crisis in affordable housing that is driving many people into poverty, and the removal of the activity test for childcare subsidy.
Submission on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum
In this submission, Anglicare Australia strongly supports the proposed Bill for a referendum to establish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. In solidarity with First Nations Peoples, communities and organisations, we will be advocating in support of a successful Yes vote at the referendum to establish a Voice enshrined in the Constitution to empower First Nations peoples.
Submission to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee on the Housing Legislative Package
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 on Deductible Gift Recipient Registers Reform
In this submission, Anglicare Australia supports calls from the Stronger Charities Alliance for more holistic DGR reform by simplifying and extending the availability of DGR status to all charities registered with the ACNC.
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.
Pre-Budget Submission 2023-24
The submission includes a plan for the next Federal Budget to tackle poverty by raising the rate of JobSeeker and other key payments. The submission includes costings showing that JobSeeker, Parenting Payment, and Carer Payment could all be raised to $88 per day. This would pull almost 2.3 million Australians out of poverty, including 840,000 children. We also lay out plans for aged care, housing, tax, community services, disability, and mental health.
Submission to the Housing Legislative Package
In this submission, Anglicare Australia supports the Government’s desire to show leadership on housing, but says that their plan does not match the scale of the housing crisis. We call for more investment to end Australia’s social housing shortfall, which is 500,000 homes across the country.
Regulating Buy Now, Pay Later in Australia
Joint submission of 22 consumer organisations who make up the Close Lending Loopholes Coalition, including Australia’s leading consumer advocates, charities, community groups, legal centres, family violence organisations, and financial counselling practitioners. Buy now, pay later (BNPL) credit products exploit loopholes in Australia’s credit law to sell people into unaffordable debt. This unregulated credit industry is causing serious economic and social harm to people, families and households across the country. We recommend Option 3 be implemented to apply full regulation of BNPL under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (the Credit Act), and the National Credit Code (the Credit Code). We also support applying additional consumer protections beyond what is outlined in Option 3.
Submission to Workforce Australia (Parents Next)
Anglicare Australia believes that parents and children should be supported. The responsibility involved in caring for children should be valued in and of itself. Anglicare Australia maintains significant concerns about the ParentsNext program, which is mandatory for some people living on Parenting Payment. These relate to the compulsory nature of the program and its punitive and disproportionate Targeted Compliance Framework. Anglicare Australia calls for the Targeted Compliance Framework to be abolished, and recommends that the ParentsNext program be redesigned as voluntary and person-centred pre-employment support program.
Submission to the Employment White Paper
Unemployment has declined, and many believe the employment market is thriving. In spite of this, the number of people with barriers to work seeking employment has barely budged. Those who need the most help to find work, and those who are long-term unemployed, are not benefitting from the recovery in the labour force. In this submission, Anglicare Australia calls for a renewed focus on direct job creation, particularly in entry-level roles, focusing on sectors with high projected demand for workers. It also recommends a major overhaul of employment services to focus on delivering real outcomes, instead of simply administering breaches and obligations. In the meantime, it will be critical to raise the rate of income payments to ensure that people do not get caught in poverty traps while they seek work.
Submission to the Capability Review of the Aged Care Safety and Quality Commission
In this submission we argue for a well-resourced Commission and a strong regulatory framework, that achieves the difficult balance between assuring the standards, safety, security and voice of older people, but also encourages provider innovation and culture change where necessary, and is not so risk averse as to stifle the ability of older Australians to make choices, take risks and exercise autonomy.
Submission to a new program for In-Home Aged Care discussion paper
Anglicare Australia believes that everybody has the right to dignity and quality of life as they age. That means committing to a continuum of care, where everybody can get the support they need in a way that suits them. This submission makes recommendations to put people at the centre of care, support the choices and preferences of older Australians, and ensure that funding reflects the real costs of care.
Submission on the National Principles to Address Coercive Control
Every Australian has the right to live safely and free from harm. In this submission, Anglicare Australia focused on the need to strengthen the broader support system so that women and children can leave abusive situations and heal. This means ensuring that support services are adequately resourced, raising social security payments above the poverty line, closing the gender pay gap, building women’s financial security, and having a strong approach to perpetrator accountability. Anglicare Australia also calls for the Government to draw more heavily on international data and evidence to understand the effectiveness of different methods to tackle coercive control, and to recognise, plan for and address the consequences of criminalising coercive control.
Submission on the Cheaper Childcare Bill
This submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment regarding the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Cheaper Child Care) Bill 2022 commended the Government for removing the activity test for First Nations children but noted the activity test continues to apply to other children from low-income households or who are developmentally vulnerable. We recommended the bottom two steps of the activity test be removed, guaranteeing three days of subsidised early learning and care for every family, including where the parent with the least hours of work is engaged in fewer than 16 hours of recognised activity.
Submission to the Aged Care Pricing Framework Consultation Paper
Fair and sustainable pricing enables the aged care sector to deliver high quality care. In this submission to the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority, we focus on the need for the pricing structure to reflect the cost of providing the care that Australians expect for themselves and their family members. This means ensuring that pricing keeps up with rising costs over time and recognising the costs of delivering care in regional and rural areas. Anglicare Australia also calls for a Pricing Framework that supports holistic, person-centred care, enabling a person to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Submission on Work and Care
In this submission Anglicare Australia advocates for a re-think of our entire approach to work and care, that provides all Australians with a permanent basic income to lift them out of poverty, and value their contribution, regardless of whether it is in paid employment, caring for friends and family, or volunteering in the community. We must do away with punitive and ineffective employment services that fail to take account of people’s situation, and move to a person-centred system that takes into account people’s strengths, goals and circumstances.
Submission on Enhancing Pensioner and Veteran Workforce Participation Amendment
As well as much needed income, work can give people purpose, reduce social isolation, and foster connection to community. In this submission Anglicare Australia supportsthe provisions in the amendment that allow people receiving aged pension or veteran entitlements to have their payments suspended for up to two years, instead of cancelled, if they earn employment income above the maximum threshold. We also call for extension of the Work Bonus to social security recipients under 65 years and support for workforce participation through a universal basic income.
Submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Carer Leave
Taking care of a loved one or a friend can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling, but it can also negatively impact an informal carer’s health, wellbeing, and financial security. Current arrangements fail to adequately support informal carers. In this submission, Anglicare Australia advocates that a legislated right to return to work will be helpful, but having enough money to live on while carrying out caring responsibilities is far more important. We call for a universal, permanent basic income to benefit all carers.
Submission to the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill
Inadequate staffing means not enough time to care, and poorer outcomes for residential aged care residents and staff. In this submission, Anglicare Australia supported the provisions in the Bill relating to 24 hour per day nursing. But we recognise the reforms will impact different services and communities differently and highlighted some of the impacts on providers, including specialist and rural and regional providers.
Submission on the Digital Protections Framework for Employment Services Programs
This submission comments on the Draft Social Security (Digital Protections Framework for Employment Services Programs) Determination 2022. It argues that while this Framework is a useful step, the new system has been created in a way that will continue to allow the Secretary and providers to issue rigid penalties, such as payment suspensions and cancellations, without review. It also makes detailed comments and recommendations on Schedule 1 of the Draft Framework.
Submission on the Remake of the ACNC Regulations
Anglicare Australia provided comment on the expsoure draft of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Regulations 2022. In the submission we supported the full implementation of the ACNC Legislation Review 2018, and recommended Governance Standard 3 is removed from the remade regulations. Registered entities already have to comply with all applicable laws. Governance Standard 3 is unnecessary, undermines the Charities Act, and provides the Commissioner too much discretion over subjective actions.
Submission on Repeal of the Cashless Debit Card
In this submission Anglicare Australia commended the Government for introducing legislation to abolish the Cashless Debit Card, which has harmed those who have been forced onto it without providing any benefit. However, while we support the abolition of the Cashless Debit Card, we are concerned that the repeal of this bill does not apply to the income management program introduced during the Northern Territory Intervention, where three-quarters of people on the Basics Card are First Nations.
Submission to the National Disability Advocacy Framework 2022-2025
This submission makes a number of suggestions for improvements to the National Disability Advocacy Framework to streamline quality and reporting requirements for the sector, and increase funding to better protect the human rights of people with disability.
Submission on the Transition to Independent Living Allowance
This submission makes recommendations about changes to the Leaving Care Plan and TILA application process that will improve access to financial support for care leavers. It also recommends increasing social security payments to support young people leaving informal care who cannot access the TILA, or who are waiting to have their claim for a TILA assessed.
Submission to the Second National Action Plan under the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework
This submission recommends the Second National Action Plan recognise the community sector as a partner in disaster resilience, response and recovery; provide adequate and flexible funding to enable community service organisation to reduce disaster risk and support recovery; and prioritise a housing response and resilience plan.
Submission on Indirect Employment in Aged care
This submission provides input to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Aged Care Employment. The inquiry is exaamining employment models in aged care, and the effects that policies and procedures to preference the direct employment of aged care workers would have on the sector. Our submission reports that services naturally prefer the direct employment of personal carers and nurses where they can. The best way to reduce the reliance on agency and labour hire staff is to improve wages and conditions for aged care workers, attracting more workers into the sector.
National Housing and Homelessness Agreement Inquiry
This submission provides recommendations on the role that the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement, can play in reducing the shortfall of social and affordable housing and improving our response to homelessness.
Submission to the Draft National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children
In this submission, Anglicare Australia lays out a plan to help women and children affected by family violence, and the community organisations who support them. Despite significant investment in tackling family violence at a federal and state level in recent years, rates of family violence remain alarmingly high. Anglicare Australia recommends setting clear targets, committing to adequate funding, and taking stronger actions to avoid past mistakes.
Submission to the New Disability Employment Service Model
This submission provides recommendations aimed at improving the experiences and outcomes for people with disability in finding and maintaining meaningful employment. These include removing mutual obligations, making participation voluntary, broadening eligibility, and addressing thin markets.
Submission to the Select Committee on Covid-19
Anglicare Australia has laid out a plan to get Australia through the Omicron outbreak, and plan for new Covid variants. Submitted to the Select Committee on Covid-19 the plan calls for free, universal Rapid Antigen Tests for all Australians; a COVID support package for the community sector; a national approach to keep essential workers in frontline service sectors at work safely; and urgent help to keep older Australians safe in aged care.
Pre-Budget Submission 2022-23
In this submission, Anglicare Australia lays out a pandemic plan to help people on the lowest incomes, and the community organisations who support them. The 2022-23 Federal Budget will play a critical role as Australia enters the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and learns to live with the virus. The Government will be required to play a much greater role than it has anticipated, and its leadership will be essential as we enter the next phase.
Submission to aligning regulation across the care and support sector consultation
Aligning regulation will help keep people safe, while also making it easier for service providers and workers to deliver care and support to older people and people with disability. Regulation must be fit-for-purpose, balanced against the need to foster innovation and collaboration, and not overly duplicative or burdensome for the workforce.
Submission to the Improving Choice in Aged Care: ACAR Discontinuation Discussion Paper
The discontinuation of the Aged Care Approvals Round progresses several key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, including promoting choice and control for older Australians, and encouraging innovation and high-quality service provision among providers. But the needs of vulnerable people are unlikely to be addressed through a reliance on market forces and mechanisms alone. The role of Government must be clearly articulated, and measures suggested in the Discussion Paper to ensure access for low-income and vulnerable older people should be further developed.
Submission to the NDIS consultation on Home and Living
Although some people with disability have choice and control regarding their home and living situation, many do not. This submission makes recommendations to help improve the home and living options available to NDIS participants. Anglicare Australia recommends that the NDIA play a greater role in intervening to create long-term growth and more opportunities for people with disability to live an ordinary life in a home environment that they choose.
Submission to the National Climate Change Resilience Strategy
This submission calls for a National Climate Change Resilience Strategy that includes equity as a guiding principle and climate change adaptation measures that reduce social inequities and disadvantage. The community sector should be recognised as a priority sector and partner in climate change adaptation and resilience.
Submission to the AER Better Bills Guideline
Electricity and gas are essential services that are vital to keeping people healthy and connected. For many households, bills are the only way they interact with the energy retailers. Anglicare Australia recommends bills include best offer information, use standardised layouts and language to make them easier to explain and compare, provide information about hardship assistance and include information about energy savings, efficiencies and patterns of use.
Submission to the Inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia
The housing market is not meeting the needs of people on low and moderate incomes. Many lower-income households are paying housing costs which exceed the affordability benchmark of 30 percent of household income. The shortfall of social housing is also growing rapidly. This submission makes recommendations to help improve access to safe and affordable housing for financially vulnerable Australians. Anglicare Australia recommends that the Federal Government drive investment in social and affordable housing that is conveniently located near employment and transport hubs. Particular attention should be given to areas of high need. The Government must also develop a national housing strategy, guided by the National Housing Supply Council, to ensure appropriate future policy and funding responses.
Submission to the reform of the ACNC secrecy provisions
Anglicare Australia supports a strong, independent and transparent ACNC. Transparency builds confidence in community services, and in the regulator itself. In this submission, we support reform to the secrecy provisions to generate greater transparency, including increased disclosure of finalised investigations and reasons for registration decisions. We recommend continuing to limit disclosures about new or ongoing investigations because of the potential risk to reputational damage and a fair investigation.
Submission to the Disability Support Pension (DSP) Impairment Tables review
Anglicare Australia believes in the dignity and potential of everybody. People need adequate support if they have a disability or illness that means they can’t work. The DSP is a crucial component of Australia’s income support system. This submission makes recommendations about changes to the Disability Support Pension (DSP) Impairment tables that will improve access to support for those who need it. It also recommends reviewing the Impairment Tables in the context of a broader review of the DSP.
Submission to the implementation of a successor plan to the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020
All children deserve to grow up safe, healthy, and happy. Children are best cared for by their families in most circumstances, but sometimes families require support. Anglicare Australia recommends focusing more on universal service delivery and addressing staffing shortages to increase access to support. A clear monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework should also be included in the successor plan.
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Disability Support Pension
Anglicare Australia believes that a fair society is one where everyone can live a dignified life and participate in their community. People need adequate support if they have a disability or illness that means they can’t work. They also need to be able to access it. This submission makes recommendations about changes to the Disability Support Pension (DSP) that will improve access to support for those who need it. It also recommends the creation of a new payment, the Disability Benefit, that will provide support to people currently unable to work but who cannot access the DSP, or who are waiting to have their claim for a DSP assessed.
Submission to the Human Rights Inquiry into ParentsNext
Each year, Anglicare Australia members support 11,300 people with employment and training programs, helping them to find or prepare for work. Our agencies also support people in crisis who do not have enough work or income to get by. Over 100,000 people each year use emergency relief and financial counselling services provided by the Anglicare Australia Network across the country. This submission aims to provide a voice for the people, overwhelmingly women, living on Parenting Payment who may be compelled to participate in the ParentsNext program. Anglicare Australia maintains significant concerns about the program. These relate to the compulsory nature of the program and its punitive and disproportionate Targeted Compliance Framework. Anglicare Australia calls for the Targeted Compliance Framework to be abolished, and recommends that the ParentsNext program be redesigned as voluntary and person-centred pre-employment support program.
Submission to the Select Committee on Covid-19
As a locally-based network with national reach, Anglicare Australia is already supporting those in need as our economy recovers from Covid-19. As frontline services, we have been closely watching the impact of the pandemic on our communities. While the current focus is rightly on the immediate impacts on individuals and communities, we know from our experiences of past crises that we must prepare for the longer-term social and economic impacts. Our submission offers insights on how to help people cope with the current crisis, explores the impact of current government measures, and makes recommendations on how to prepare for longer-term impacts.
Submission on Pay-Day Lenders
This submission summarises the Anglicare Australia Network’s experience with pay-day lending and the harm the industry causes the people we work with. We have found that a combination of low income, lack of savings, and poor access to mainstream banking and financial services can lead people to use pay-day loans for short-term and sudden financial crises. It is unacceptable that these pay-day loans are, for some people, the only option they have to access emergency credit.
Submission on Centrelink Income Reporting
In this submission, Anglicare Australia welcomes measures that simplify reporting obligations and reduce payment errors. We also argue that the Government must act on the lessons learned from its failed robodebt scheme before embarking on a new system. We recommends that the reporting changes be passed, on the condition that the Government conducts user testing on these proposed changes. The Government must also show that it has considered any unintended consequences and risks of harm to those using the system.
Submission to the Productivity Commission on Mental Health
In this submission, Anglicare Australia argues that mental health services have suffered from ad-hoc development and needless complexity. This stems from a lack of government leadership and investment over many years. We call on the Commission to reflect on policy settings that impact the social determinants of health, to offer additional support for community-based mental health services, and to ensure support regardless of diagnosis.
Submission on Indigenous Employment and Economic Development
Participation and employment are crucial for building inclusive, thriving communities. Yet government programs are failing to help people find work, and are instead punishing them. In this submission, Anglicare Australia argues that harsh penalties are applied carelessly and arbitrarily, leading to wide-reaching deprivation. This is the reality facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in ParentsNext, CDP, and across employment services more broadly. Programs that push people into poverty are not fit to be considered employment support at all.