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Read our latest media releases, catch up on anything you missed from the our radio program Small Change, and comment on issues and ideas in our blog. 

Parties must relieve pressure on SA's struggling renters

9 January 2018

With South Australian renters continuing to grapple with high utility costs, a good move would be to reverse a legislative change which hit tenants with water supply charges, writes Ross Womersley, CEO of the South Australian Council of Social Service

Cost of living issues are front and centre in the lead-up to the March state election. 

Yesterday the Government began sending out letters to 169,000 South Australian households inviting them to take up a deal they have negotiated with Origin Energy offering an 18% discount on supply and usage, plus no exit fee.

We...

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SA Electricity Price Decreases Beat National Average

18 December 2017

The South Australian Council of Social Service today welcomed news from the Australian Energy Market Commission that residential electricity prices are likely to decrease over the next two years.
 
The price decreases are due to falling wholesale costs driven by:

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9 ways politicians can ease cost of living pressures: SACOSS releases utilities affordability policy for state election

12 December 2017

The South Australian Council of Social Service today released its telecommunications, energy and water policy for the SA State Election in March 2018. The peak welfare group is asking all parties to commit to 9 policies which will help those struggling most with cost of living pressures.

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Gov reneging on promise to fix our broken child protection system

22 November 2017

An alliance of child protection advocates has criticised the government for failing to follow-through on its promise to put through a Bill to complement legislation passed in the wake of the Nyland Royal Commission.

Disappointingly, the government has prioritised the passage of the Children’s Protection Law Reform (Transitional Arrangements and Related Amendments) Bill 2017 during next week’s Parliamentary sittings rather than the new Prevention and Early Intervention for the Development and Wellbeing of Children and Young People Bill 2017. 

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City of Adelaide is 10th council to support raising Newstart

15 November 2017

Will the LGA follow suit and vote 'Yes' this Thursday?

Anti-Poverty Network SA and SACOSS (SA Council of Social Service) congratulate the City of Adelaide which last night voted to support an increase to Newstart Allowance, the Centrelink payment for job-seekers.

Over the past three months, 10 SA Councils representing 580,000 South Australians have added their voices to the chorus of business, union, and welfare groups calling for Newstart to be raised.

Adelaide has joined the following 9 Councils that have advocated for a raise to Newstart: Clare and Gilbert...

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Being Poor Costs More

16 October 2017

SACOSS Anti-Poverty Week Statement highlights 10 “poverty premiums” for low income South Australians

SACOSS is today releasing its 2017 Anti-Poverty Week Statement which highlights the “poverty premiums” paid by South Australians on the lowest incomes. These are the extra costs on those living in poverty that others with higher income or more resources can buy their way out of, avoid or minimise. 

The SACOSS Statement gives examples of 10 poverty premiums in energy, telecommunications, banking, government charges, and in ordinary shopping. The...

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Liberal’s energy plan: some good measures but not enough for low income people

10 October 2017

SACOSS welcomes some of the reliability and security measures in Steven Marshall’s energy plan, but we are concerned that the plan’s solar battery centrepiece delivers little benefit for the poorest South Australians.

SACOSS Senior Policy Officer Jo De Silva says, “The Liberal Party has today announced a $100 million Home Storage Subsidy Scheme but people on very low incomes cannot afford to install solar panels, and therefore won’t be able to take advantage of the $2500 subsidy.”

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Rejecting 'tough on crime'? That's political bravery!

4 October 2017

Ross Womersley - CEO, SACOSS

With an election in the air, neither of the major parties wants to be in a position where the public can accuse them of being soft on crime. This is why the Opposition must be congratulated for having the courage to oppose the State Government’s tough new Bill for repeat offenders.

The Government’s response to a series of high-profile and tragic accidents caused by repeat young offenders was to seek harsher punishments and to treat children and young people as adults.

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Over 100,000 South Australian households in housing stress: Report suggests rental costs could be state election issue

7 August 2017

The South Australian Council of Social Service’s latest Cost of Living Update released today utilises recent Census data to highlight the problem of housing affordability and includes a breakdown of consumer housing stress by state electorate.

Housing stress is where a household spends more than 30% of its income on housing costs and it is a key indicator of financial hardship and risk of homelessness. 

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SA still years behind in addressing digital disadvantage

1 August 2017

Data released today shows that South Australia still lags the nation in addressing digital disadvantage. 

The 2017 Australian Digital Inclusion Index, published by RMIT, was launched today in Melbourne.  It measures 8 aspects of digital inclusion, giving each of them a score out of 100. 

The 2017 data shows that digital inclusion in South Australia improved by 2.4 points over the last year, but SA still has the lowest score for all mainland states and territories. 

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