Australian Council of Social Service

Australian Council of Social Service ACOSS is a national advocate supporting people affected by poverty, disadvantage and inequality, and the peak council for community services nationally.

Our aim for this page is to keep you updated on our work with members and the community towards an Australia free of poverty, with an inclusive community, fair economy and liveable climate. We hope our posts will encourage meaningful conversations on these topics. In order to be as inclusive in these conversations as possible, ACOSS strives to make our content accessible, including by adding alt-t

ext to images and by including facebook-generated captions on our videos, for those who have selected to see these in their settings. In addition, at times we provide ACOSS-generated captions and/or transcripts of videos. When it comes to engaging with this page, not everyone will always agree with each other, and that’s OK, but this page is a place for respectful debate and comments on this page will be moderated. We encourage you to make comments and there are many constructive comments made on this page. However, please be mindful that a comment will be removed if:
• It is defamatory or discriminatory, for example if it is racist or homophobic
• It is abusive, threatening, encourages violence or incites hatred
• It involves swearing, name-calling, personal attacks or other anti-social behaviour
• It includes video or images that our community may find distressing
• It is an advertisement or sales pitch
• It is wildly off-topic or would be reasonably be seen as spam (for instance, the same comment posted repeatedly). Violation of this policy could result in one or all of the following: removal of comment or post, blocking and/or reporting to Facebook. If you have any questions or comments about this policy, please direct message us. We do our best to respond to direct messages in a timely way. While we are often active on this page, ACOSS cannot monitor it 24/7. We may not see every inappropriate post right away, so please ignore these comments or report them to Facebook.

ACOSS urges Parliament to pass the Government’s CGT and negative gearing reforms. These reforms will improve equity by c...
16/06/2026

ACOSS urges Parliament to pass the Government’s CGT and negative gearing reforms. These reforms will improve equity by curbing tax concessions that go overwhelmingly to people on higher incomes, and provide no benefit to the 4 million people receiving income support who don’t earn enough income to pay income tax or benefit from tax concessions.

• For high income earners on $200k per year, 18% receive capital gains and 18% claim rental losses.
• For middle income earners on $70k per year, only 5% receive capital gains and 6% claim rental losses.
• For people on JobSeeker on $21k per year, virtually none benefit from capital gains and negative gearing tax concessions.

Read the ACOSS submission to the Senate inquiry: acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ACOSS-Submission-Treasury-Laws-Amendment-Bill-Income-Tax-Rates-Amendments-Bill-1.1.pdf

ACOSS is participating in the Senate hearing today, calling on Parliament to pass the Government's capital gains discoun...
16/06/2026

ACOSS is participating in the Senate hearing today, calling on Parliament to pass the Government's capital gains discount and negative gearing reforms, and not limit the CGT changes to property.

These reforms would make our tax system fairer, improve housing affordability, back productive investment over speculation, and free up revenue for the services and supports millions of people across the country that need it most.

Under current settings, an investor on $200,000 pays 23.5% tax on gains from shares and property, while a care worker on $70,000 pays 30% on their next dollar earned. This is not justifiable and must be fixed.

Two thirds of investment property, shares, business and financial assets are held by the wealthiest 10% of households. When we need more revenue to fund public services and lift woefully inadequate income supports, finally curbing tax loopholes that benefit people who are already well-off is the right move.

ACOSS Acting CEO, Edwina MacDonald said: “We cannot keep subsidising wealth accumulation at the top, and should instead invest revenue in housing, services, a fair NDIS and income support for the people who need it most. There are four million people with low incomes on income support who don’t benefit from investor tax shelters, or indeed from tax cuts. Many more, including people with disability, children and older people need the essential services funded by taxes. They should have priority."

Read our statement here: https://www.acoss.org.au/media-releases/?media_release=parliament-should-pass-cgt-and-negative-gearing-changes

Read the ACOSS submission on the tax bills here:https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ACOSS-Submission-Treasury-Laws-Amendment-Bill-Income-Tax-Rates-Amendments-Bill-1.1.pdf

Refugee Week 2026 is a moment to celebrate the immeasurable contributions refugees bring to Australia.The skills, cultur...
15/06/2026

Refugee Week 2026 is a moment to celebrate the immeasurable contributions refugees bring to Australia.

The skills, cultures, perspectives that enrich our communities and strengthen our nation. Each person's story is unique. Each one is powerful. And together, they shape the Australia we see today.

ACOSS proudly celebrates Refugee Week, and we continue to work to ensure safety and belonging for all. Migrants and refugees contribute enormously to our social, cultural, and economic life.

We encourage all political leaders to pursue policies and public conversations that reflect our shared humanity, and that recognise the value and dignity of every person who calls this country home.

This week belongs to every one of these stories, and to the stories still to come.

To learn more, visit https://www.refugeeweek.org.au/theme/

Today we are launching our Raise the Rate Survey 2026. Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world should mea...
11/06/2026

Today we are launching our Raise the Rate Survey 2026. Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world should mean you’re doing more than just surviving. But too many people receiving income support, are forced to go without basic goods and services because their budgets simply cannot stretch to meet the minimum costs of everyday life.

People on payments like JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment, Austudy, Abstudy and similar, are being left behind on the lowest incomes in the country. With unemployment rising across Australia - this issue is starting to hit home for more and more people.

Last time we ran this survey, our community told us about the constant stress and fear of trying to make ends meet. Anecdotally, we are hearing even more concerning stories as costs continue to increase. We need to paint a full picture of what it is really like trying to survive on these payments in 2026.

The evidence is clear, but together we need to push the government to act. If you receive any of these working-age payments, we want to hear from you, no matter where you live in Australia.

We are asking you for two things:

1️⃣ Take the survey to share your real-life experience.

2️⃣ Spread the word by sharing this post with friends, family, and your community.

Every single voice makes our case stronger. Head to the link to get started.

Take the Survey HERE: https://efcee0ql45h.typeform.com/to/BCIQIUZh

Plans to restore inhumane income support payment cancellation penalties must be abandoned. Financial penalties dispropor...
03/06/2026

Plans to restore inhumane income support payment cancellation penalties must be abandoned.

Financial penalties disproportionately impact people with the most substantial barriers to paid work, including people who are homeless and those with significant mental health issues.

Payment cancellations have been paused since 2024 after it was found the automated system was illegally cancelling people’s vital income support payments, with subsequent Ombudsman reports calling out unfairness and illegality. In a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations confirmed the system would be back online by early 2027.

ACOSS Acting CEO Edwina MacDonald said: “Switching punitive policies back on will not help anyone to secure paid work, but it will cause serious harm to people who are already living in poverty.”

ACOSS is calling for the broken Targeted Compliance Framework – the penalty system that governs mutual obligations – to be scrapped as part of employment services reform.

Read our statement: https://www.acoss.org.au/media-releases/?media_release=government-must-not-switch-income-support-payment-cancellations-back-on

For further information, see ACOSS Position Paper: Reform of Employment Services and Mutual Obligation:https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Workforce-Australia-position-statement.pdf

People are under severe pressure from interest rate rises, rent increases, higher fuel costs, and growing economic uncer...
02/06/2026

People are under severe pressure from interest rate rises, rent increases, higher fuel costs, and growing economic uncertainty due to the conflict in the Middle East. The Fair Work Commission’s decision will help ease the pressure on low-paid workers to cover their basic living costs such as rent, food, and transport.

However, far more government action is needed to reverse the decade-long stagnation of living standards endured as wages and incomes have failed to keep pace with costs. Read the full release here: https://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/minimum-wage-increase-welcome-government-action-now-needed/

National Reconciliation Week is on May 27 to June 3. These dates mark key milestones for Australia.May 27, 1967 – the su...
27/05/2026

National Reconciliation Week is on May 27 to June 3. These dates mark key milestones for Australia.

May 27, 1967 – the successful referendum that recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our constitution.
June 3, 1992 – the High Court ‘Mabo’ decision that overturned Terra Nullius and recognised Native Title.

This year, the theme for Reconciliation Day, All In, is about commitment to reconciliation, and ACOSS is ALL IN.

This week and every week, we remain committed to voice, treaties and truth-telling, and working to be an effective ally to support First Nations-led approaches to progress First Nations self-determination and justice.

26/05/2026

Last week ACOSS Executive Director of Policy and Research, Jacqueline Phillips, joined the Minister for Housing Clare O'Neil MP and representatives from National Shelter and Everybody's Home Campaign at a press conference in Melbourne to discuss the housing tax changes announced in the federal budget.

These long overdue changes to negative gearing and the capital gains discount will make a real difference to improve fairness and level the playing field in our housing and tax systems. We are urging the Federal Parliament to swiftly pass these critical reforms.

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Level 3, 219-241 Cleveland Street
Surry Hills, NSW
2012

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