QCOSS and our members welcome the Review as an opportunity to demonstrate the critical need to immediately remove children from detention in watch houses and ensure that this harmful practice does not continue.
QCOSS strongly opposes passage of the Making Queensland Safer Bill, which seeks to legislate the Adult Crime, Adult Time laws and remove the principle of detention as a last resort from the Youth Justice Act 1992 (Qld), among other changes.
This discussion paper is the first step in the development of an Excellence Framework for the community services sector.
At QCOSS, we have a big, audacious goal of equality, opportunity and wellbeing for all Queenslanders. We’re optimistic, because to realise this goal, we have to be. Our 2023-24 annual report shows that optimism in action during a tough year.
To understand the commitments being made by all parties in response to the priorities of Queensland’s community service sector, QCOSS wrote to all parties seeking their responses. Responses were provided by Labor, the LNP and the Greens.
QCOSS has provided a submission to the Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System. We outlined that the community service sector delivers community-based interventions that deal with the root cause of crime, which are proven to improve the wellbeing of young people and reduce offending behaviour.
Local councils across Queensland have long demonstrated a commitment to improve the housing situation for vulnerable people in their communities. In the context of the state’s current housing "crisis", it is important that local governments continue to play an active role in improving housing outcomes for affected population groups.
The QCOSS annual Living Affordability in Queensland report aims to determine whether low-income households in Queensland can afford a basic standard of living. The 2024 report documents the severe financial stress and deprivation faced by the most vulnerable households in Queensland reliant on income support payments, and the growing “working poor” families who are also in need of support to make ends meet.
Our interactive annual report exploring how community organisations are navigating rising demand for services, increased complexity of demands, workforce challenges and increasing costs.
QCOSS strongly supports implementation of the Bill as it will establish institutional architecture to lead and implement rights-based, long-term national housing and homelessness policy.
