This Committee of Delegates supports the
ACOSS statement calling for an end to offshore processing of asylum seekers and lobbies Unions NSW and the ACTU to do the same.'
ACOSS dedicated this edition of Impact to social enterprise to help us consider how we should include new social enterprise organisations and social entrepreneurialism in our work, particularly in response to some of the traditional notions of 'welfare.' This issue contains articles from a number of community organisations about their involvement with social enterprise, including
ACOSS member Mission Australia and from The Big Issue.
The equalisation of
ACOSS's ratings with those of the sovereign reflects the following assessments on the rating factors:
The sheer ruthlessness of the Howard Government's treatment of the poorest Australians was on display in early 2002 when
ACOSS revealed that 386,946 breach penalties had been imposed on social security recipients, mainly unemployed people, in 2001.
Although the French government has no legal obligation to prevent a default, Fitch assumes that it is highly motivated to provide support and has the legal and financial means to enable
ACOSS to meet its debt service obligations in a timely manner.
A spotlight on breaching policy occurred when the extraordinarily high figures for 2000-2001 became widely known and a number of internal and external inquiries were instigated (
ACOSS 2001a; Ombudsman 2002).
ACOSS proposes long and short-term solutions to this problem.
ACOSS has long-advocated for a range of housing policies to alleviate housing stress and reduce homelessness.
Meanwhile in a recent report by another
ACOSS member SANE Australia, almost one-third of respondents on low incomes were not registered with the Medicare Safety Net (3).
ACOSS' recent survey of the non-profit community services sector highlighted the vital role that this sector plays.
ACOSS expressed disappointment at the Fair Pay Commission's decision in July to leave the Federal Minimum Wage unchanged at $14.31 per hour.