Month: January 2015

The unacceptable number of Indigenous children in state care must be reduced by the next Qld government. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in state care has reached the highest level ever recorded in Queensland and all parties need to commit to reducing this says the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak Body. The Child Protection Peak say the trajectory of increasingly disproportionate representation has not changed and the issue must be tackled as a high priority by whoever is elected. “We recognise that reversing and eliminating this trend demands a long-term commitment...

While the state of the Queensland economy and jobs have been a key focus in the lead up to the State Election, little has been said about the impact of measures that rein in State debt on our most vulnerable. The reality is that many individuals and families can slide into homelessness with one major hit to their income, whether this be losing their jobs or a change to their government income. A strong state needs to consider not only the economic pillars, but the social infrastructure pillar as well. As the saying goes “a state is judged on...

The economic and social footprint of charities and the Not for Profit sector seems to have been largely ignored in the Queensland election writes David Crosbie, CEO, Community Council for Australia. In the short term political contest of ideas about employment and future prosperity in Queensland, the economic and social footprint of charities and the not-for-profit sector seems to have been largely ignored. Yet, over 130,000 Queenslanders work in the charities and Not for Profit sector, or around 8 per cent of the Queensland workforce. That is significantly more than are employed in the mining, agriculture, or finance industries....