Join
room hire
Donate

Sector Support

SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S COMMUNITY SECTOR

SA’s community service organisations deliver vital supports for South Australians experiencing poverty and disadvantage. These supports come in many forms, including services, advocacy, social wellbeing and social justice. SACOSS is proud to represent the community sector, and the interests of the hundreds of charitable and not-for-profit organisations across South Australia which provide such meaningful service and care.

CULTIVATING AN INFORMED & THRIVING COMMUNITY SECTOR

BUILDING
SUPPORT
& INFLUENCE

BUILDING SUPPORT & INFLUENCE

SACOSS builds support and influence in the community sector to engage others to become allies in influencing decision-makers.

PROMOTE
& INFORM

PROMOTE & INFORM

SACOSS shares information, knowledge and innovation to drive better sector-wide policy and practice.

FOSTER COLLABORATIVE ACTION

SACOSS builds alignment and shared purpose in the sector, drawing upon the wisdom and expertise of our diverse member base to lead advocacy efforts.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Portable Long Service Leave

Workforce recruitment and retention is an issue acutely felt across the health and community sectors. A portable long service scheme which would allow more workers to accumulate and access long service leave provisions, even if they work across different organisations throughout their career, would be of great benefit for the state’s community sector.

Our impact

In September 2024 the SA state government introduced laws to establish a portable long service leave scheme. SACOSS is proud to have represented our sector in negotiations which improved the bill, but there will be many more issues to sort out as the scheme is introduced over the coming years.

Indexation and Funding

SACOSS co-chairs the Not-for-Profit Community of Practice with other sector peak bodies and Treasury, and we are particularly keen to see that adequate funding is provided to sector organisations to provide quality services. This requires assessing the fairness and adequacy of contract costing, as well as ensuring that contract indexation covers increasing service costs over the life of a contract. The current indexation rate, which is pegged to the general government rate, is no longer reflecting cost pressures on the sector. SACOSS is working with key stakeholders to develop a new approach. 

Gender Pay Gap Task Force

We actively contribute to the work of the Gender Pay Gap Task Force in developing proposals aimed at addressing the continuing gender-based gap in wages and superannuation across a lifetime of work, particularly in the community sector which has more female employees than many other sectors. 

Other representation

Along with the DTF Industry Advisory Group which focuses on reducing the complexity of doing work with government, SACOSS is represented on the Essential Services Commission’s Consumer Advisory Panel, the State Government’s Gambling Advisory Council, the SA Dental Service’s Consumer Advisory Panel, and the Court’s Community Reference Group.

SACOSS logo

08 8305 4222

sacoss@sacoss.org.au

Marjorie Black House
47 King William Road Unley SA 5061

Facebook X-twitter Linkedin
Donate
Join

About Us

Policy and advocacy

News

SACOSS acknowledges the traditional owners of unceded country throughout South Australia, and recognises their continuing connection to lands, waters and culture. We recognise the sovereignty and cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and pay our respect to elders both past and present.

© Copyright 2024 SACOSS | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Built By Marketing Sweet
Scroll to Top

KELLY VINCENT

Kelly is a writer and an advocate living on Kaurna land. At age 20, they won the State Theatre’s Young Guns Award for young playwrights for Gravity. At 21, they became Australia’s youngest Member of Parliament and first-ever appointed specifically on the platform of disability rights. From 2010 to 2018, Kelly represented the Dignity Party in the Upper House of South Australia’s State Parliament, making vital changes to the way service providers, the built environment, and the justice system respond to the needs of disabled people. They are now Creative Director of True Ability, a disabled persons’ theatre company they co-founded in 2020.

CHERYL AXELBY

Cheryl is a proud Narungga Woman, living on Kaurna land, and is passionate about improving the quality of life for her people. Cheryl has extensive experience working with Aboriginal communities, and federal and state government sectors at senior and executive level in a career spanning over 43 years. Currently she is National Co-Chair of Change the Record, Head of Aboriginal Housing – Housing SA and in March 2024 she was elected as the Central Region 1 representative in the historic First Nations Voice to SA Parliament.

DAVE ADAMSON

Dave moved to Australia following a 30-year academic career in the UK. He has since worked in the Community Housing sector and authored the 2016 Towards a National Housing Strategy, and helped to establish the Everybody’s Home campaign. He also researches the interface between poverty and climate change and actively supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He has worked with government at all levels and has experience of policy development and evaluation. He is co-author of Sustainable Places: Addressing Social Inequality and Environmental Crisis (2022, Routledge). In his spare time he plays and builds guitars.

ROHAN FEEGRADE

Rohan is an experienced and forward-thinking CEO, senior executive and board director with demonstrated expertise across the not-for-profit, private and government sectors. Currently CEO of Lutheran Care, he has proven record for creating substantial organisational, stakeholder and client value, and has extensive experience in strategically positioning organisations for transformational change and growth within the health, disability, education and community service sectors. Rohan is a socially responsible professional, genuinely passionate about creating opportunities for people who live with disadvantage and disability, always acting ethically to serve those he works with and for.

DR JEN CLEARY

Jen is a human geographer, with a background spanning social services and social policy ,vocational and higher education and regional, rural and remote research and development. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Centacare Catholic Country SA (CCCSA), a for-purpose organisation providing social services in regional, rural and remote communities in South Australia, across a footprint of some 980,000 square km. She was awarded a PhD in Geography from the University of SA in 2014. She holds an adjunct professorial position with the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University and is a member of the Advisory Panel for the University of SA Justice and Society Arts Program.

NANCY PENNA

Nancy has than 30 years of experience in South Australian community services, and a a unique understanding of the political and social landscape and the issues and opportunities facing South Australia. Currently responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of AnglicareSA’s community services portfolio, she has previously held executive roles in government within child protection and disability, with her executive experience underpinned by her earlier career as a social worker in child protection and youth justice. She is also Chair of the Child and Family Focus South Australia (CAFFSA) Board and most recently on the Housing Security for Older Women Taskforce.

NICOLE CHAPLIN

Nicole is a dedicated and experienced youth support professional, specialising in solutions for disadvantaged young people in South Australia. As CEO of St John’s Youth Services, she oversees innovative programs like youth110 and Foyer Port Adelaide. With over thirty years in the community sector, Nicole has built extensive networks and her expertise spans governance, service delivery, policy development, and partnerships. Recognised with the 2018 AHI Inspirational Leader Award, Nicole is an active participant in housing and homelessness networks. She holds leadership roles in various organisations, including Anglicare Australia’s National Reconciliation Network.

EMMA CROSBY

Emma is a chartered Accountant with more than 15 years experience as a board member, finance and business professional, strategic advisor and company secretary. She has strong values and a passion for enabling and leading organisations to meet its operational and strategic direction through long-term financial sustainability, operational efficiency, innovation, leadership, transformation and partnerships. As Treasurer and Board member at SACOSS, she is committed to successfully leading and making a purposeful impact to the organisation and its stakeholders.

David PANTER

David has worked in health and social care for almost 45 years, over half of which has been as a Chief Executive. In the UK he initially worked in the NHS and more latterly in local government, where he was Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove City Council. In 2004 David was recruited to the South Australian public health system for over 10 years leading reforms including the development of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. From 2015-2022 David was the Chief Executive of not-for-profit aged care provider ECH. At the end of January 2022 David became the Chief Executive at Minda, SA’s largest provider of services to people living with an intellectual disability.

Skip to content