SACOSS yesterday held its ‘Working to Make Ends Meet’ Conference, with a focus on the challenges faced by waged poor households – a group that is often overlooked, and is also less likely to seek help.
“What our research actually identifies is that one in four households living below the poverty line rely on wages as their main source of income,” stated SACOSS CEO Ross Womersley.
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SACOSS ‘Working to Make Ends Meet’ Conference highlights challenges faced by waged poor households
10 December 2020
SACOSS 'Working to Make Ends Meet' Conference
7 December 2020
- Understanding and responding to the challenges faced by waged poor households -
Coming up this Wednesday 9 December
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted both some key strengths of our systems and society, but also some critical challenges. One of these is how we support and respond to people who are struggling to make ends meet in waged poor households - an often overlooked group, who are also less likely to seek help.
Workers are Paying to Work
30 September 2020
Do you use your personal phone or internet services for work? A recent survey commissioned by SACOSS found that 70% of the workers surveyed used their own phone or internet services for work. There were casual workers checking rosters online or being notified about work by phone, photographers and care workers navigating to different worksites, and delivery drivers phoning ahead to organise pick-ups or drop-offs.
A choice between community support and poverty-level Centrelink payments
23 September 2020
As COVID-19 restrictions slowly lift and borders begin to reopen, emergency payments and increased benefits introduced to mitigate economic and social damage are about to be wound back. Besides the economic impact, a return to pre-pandemic welfare income will plunge many back into poverty. Click here to view the opinion piece by SACOSS Policy Director, Dr Catherine Earl published in InDaily, 23 September 2020.
Beyond SA's Recession Gloom
4 September 2020
The nation is officially in the doldrums and many are doing it tough, but figures show that getting the virus under control leads to quicker economic recovery, and that’s a positive for SA.
Click here for the opinion piece by Dr Greg Ogle, SACOSS Senior Policy Officer, published in InDaily 4 September 2020.
Connection crisis for struggling households
13 August 2020
- Telecommunications unaffordable for waged poor -
SACOSS condemns stalling on changing the age of criminal responsibility by the Australian Council of Attorneys-General
27 July 2020
The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) has condemned the further criminalisation of children as a result of a delayed response to change the age of criminal responsibility. In a meeting held on Monday 27 July by the Australian Council of Attorneys-General, the urging to change the age of criminal responsibility from ten years of age to a minimum of 14 years was stalled, with the Council calling for more work to be done.
Gendered Work and Coronavirus
7 June 2020
When social distancing and isolation at home was first required as a response to the coronavirus there was recognition of the potential for increases in domestic/family violence as families would be closely confined and violent and abusive patterns exacerbated. However, while these family violence issues are in the public domain, less acute but more widespread are the differing and gendered economic impacts of the pandemic.
Forecast for residential energy bills reduction: SACOSS welcomes AER decision
5 June 2020
SACOSS welcomes the $40 forecast reduction in energy bills for average residential energy consumers next year, resulting from the Australian Energy Regulator’s decision on the amount of revenue SA Power Networks can recover for 2020-2025.
Calls for a further SA stimulus package as extent of jobs crisis becomes clearer
1 June 2020
The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) today released analysis of the ABS April jobs data which reveals a much larger job crisis facing South Australia. In response, SACOSS is calling for another state stimulus package in addition to the measures announced in the Marshall Government’s $650m Jobs Rescue Package which was released in late March.