We are calling for A Recovery for all Queenslanders.

The community service sector’s frontline response has made a critical contribution to Queensland’s successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the pandemic has highlighted existing vulnerabilities among Queensland communities, through homelessness and housing insecurity; unemployment and job insecurity among specific cohorts, including women and young people; and increased and more complex demands on community services.

Strategic investments in Queensland’s community infrastructure will not only support those most impacted by the pandemic but will create local jobs in suburban and regional communities across the state.

These investments will strengthen Queensland communities and the community services sector, as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and look to the future.

QCOSS encourages the Queensland Government to use debt for good and take advantage of the opportunity to invest in the community service sector.

These investments will:

• create local jobs, including for women
• provide housing for the people who need it the most
• drive down power-prices over the long term
• strengthen and grow the community services sector, the largest employer group in the Queensland economy.

Community Service Sector Budget Priorities

1. Build 14,700 social housing dwellings ($4.1 billion over 4 years)
2. Install energy efficiency upgrades and rooftop solar panels on 30,000 social housing dwellings ($215 million over 2 years)
3. Establish a Community Resilience Fund ($40 million over 5 years)
4. Make an immediate investment in Queensland’s neighbourhood centres ($5.565 million)
5. Commit to no cuts to community service funding
6. Implement a gender-responsive approach to the development of the State Budget each year to advance gender equality in Queensland.

Access our pre-budget overview.