Cool in a crisisCommunity sector’s bushfire effort, p 8

Vale Dorothy Pearce, social worker, p 2

Measuring social outcomes, p 5Consumer engagement how-to manual, p 12Meet the ACNC, p 16

TasCOSS

Newsletter March 2013

Tasmanian Council of Social Service

TasC

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Contents3 From the CEO

4Workforce Development Plan 2012-15

5Measuring social outcomes

8 Community sector’s 2013 bushfire effort

10 Statistical portrait of Tasmania

12Consumer engagement project bears fruit

14Transport in the community

16Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission

18Welcome to new membersSirolli project contacts

Advertising and insert rates 2012

Advertising (exc GST) Members Non Members

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Quarter $25 $40

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Members Non Members

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Esteemed Tasmanian social worker and TasCOSS Honorary Life Member Dorothy Pearce died on 8 March at the age of 89.

Dorothy was one of the founders of TasCOSS and her support for the welfare of disadvantaged Tasmanians was life-long. Doro-thy will be remembered fondly for her vision, unwavering com-mitment and hard work.

Born in Hobart in 1923, Dorothy attended Friends School, where she became Head Prefect. This was the first of many leadership roles she was to hold through-out her life, from captain of her hockey and cricket teams through to membership of nu-merous boards, committees and professional associations.

Dorothy completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Tas-mania then studied social work in Melbourne on a Red Cross scholarship, qualifying as an al-moner, or medical social worker.

After graduating in 1946, Doro-thy worked for the Red Cross as a social worker with returned service people in South Australia and with the Anti-Cancer Coun-cil at Royal Adelaide Hospital before returning to Tasmania in 1955. For 28 years Dorothy was an almoner at the Royal Hobart Hospital. She was the only social worker there for many years.

In 1961, as state president of the Australian Association of Social Workers, Dorothy worked with other organisations to form a Tasmanian Council of Social Ser-vice, with the aims of combat-ing poverty, avoiding overlap or duplication of services and identifying gaps in services.

Having valued her own edu-cational opportunities, Doro-thy was active in building the educational and professional

opportunities for social workers in Tasmania. She spent many years lobbying and planning for the establishment of a so-cial work course in this state. The course began to be offered in 1973.

After her retirement in 1983, Dorothy sat on committees such as the Community Nurses, deliv-ered Meals on Wheels and act-ed as a courier for State Library homebound service – a service she helped set up.

Her involvement with TasCOSS was ongoing, as a foundation member, Honorary Secretary for many years, president from 1979-81 and in various other vol-untary capacities.

She was made a member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1977 for services to the community, became the first life member of TasCOSS and, since 2003, TasCOSS has hon-oured her work with an annual Dorothy Pearce Address, which promotes current social justice issues.

In 2012 the Reverend Tim Costel-lo, CEO of World Vision Australia, delivered the address. Previous speakers have included econo-mist Saul Eslake, law academic Larissa Behrendt, political econ-omist Marilyn Waring and eco-nomic development innovator Ernesto Sirolli.

Editor: Gabrielle Rish gabrielle@tascoss.org.auPhone: 6231 0755

A life well livedDorothy Philp Pearce MBE: 1923-2013

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From the CEOCutting single parents’ payments is bad public policy

Tony Reidy

TasCOSS Chief Executive

The Federal Government’s de-cision to move all single parents off parenting payments once their youngest child turns eight has meant about 84,000 of Aus-tralia’s poorest families saw their benefits cut by as much as $110 a week from January.

These families will now have to make do on the Newstart allow-ance – a payment so low that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop-ment (OECD) rates it as one of the lowest unemployment ben-efits in the developed world.

The harsh reality of surviving on so little has been documented in numerous reports over the past 12 months, including by three parliamentary inquiries and most major charities.

The most recent ABS Household Expenditure Survey on indicators of financial stress gives the bleak picture of life on Newstart:

• Half of recipients suffer three or more forms of financial stress, including asking for money from family or friends, wearing only second-hand clothes and turning to charities for help.

• More than half were unable to raise $2000 in an emergency.

• 40 per cent couldn’t pay an electricity, gas or phone bill on time, or afford to go to the dentist.

Newstart is $74 per week be-low the poverty line. With one in eight people, and one in six children, now in poverty in Aus-tralia, it is unforgivable that we fail to act. In Tasmania, 14%-26% of people live below or on the cusp of the poverty line.

The Federal Government says that the best way to help peo-ple on Newstart is to help them get a job. TasCOSS agrees.

But the OECD, the Henry tax panel, business groups, econo-mists and other experts all tell us that Newstart is now so low that it is a major barrier for people to find paid work. As the Business Council of Australia says: ‘’En-trenching people into poverty is not a pathway back into em-ployment.’’

It is often argued that Newstart is only a short-term payment. On the contrary, 60 per cent of peo-ple have been on the payment for more than 12 months and the average time is two years.

This is not because people are not trying. TasCOSS member organisations hear daily from people aged over 45 who are overlooked because they are deemed too old. This group now constitutes one in three people on the Newstart payment.

Nationally, one in six has a dis-ability. Half have less than year 12 qualifications. Many face real barriers to getting back into paid work – discrimination, lack of skills and training, lack of flex-ible work for those with children and other caring responsibilities being among them.

This is why the nation’s Councils of Social Service have teamed up with the Business Council of Australia and the Austral-ian Council of Trade Unions to find solutions to getting more of those who are disadvantaged in the labour market into real jobs.

The debate around Newstart comes at a time when business, government and the community are talking about how to improve productivity. The starting point must be an immediate increase to the single rate of Newstart to alleviate worsening poverty and remove one of the major barriers for people trying to participate in society through work.

Newstart hasn’t been increased in real terms since 1994 – near-ly 20 years ago. Since then, Newstart has continued to fall further behind pensions because of inadequate indexation. To-day the difference between the payments is a staggering $140 per week.

Everyone understands that there are budgetary constraints, but budgeting is about priorities. Slashing the payments of vul-nerable single parents and their children makes no economic sense and is counter-productive to achieving good social and economic participation.

This policy should be reversed, the single rate of Newstart raised by $50 a week and its indexation fixed, as recommended by the Henry panel and others.

It is the right thing to do for the economy – removing a bar-rier to getting people into paid work, as well as injecting money into the economy.

It is clearly the right thing to do for the 84,000 single-parent fami-lies and the other 575,000 peo-ple on unemployment benefits in Australia so they get a real chance at a new start in 2013.

* With special thanks to the ACOSS CEO and her team for assistance in the preparation of this column

A life well livedDorothy Philp Pearce MBE: 1923-2013

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A workforce for the futureEight peak bodies developed the plan to strengthen the Tasmanian community sector’s workforce but it will take a wider effort to implement it

he Tasmanian Community Ser-vices Workforce Development Plan 2012-15 was launched on 18 March at the start of the University of Tasmania Careers Fair.

The launch location was chosen in recognition of the fact that the sector not only needs to retain and develop its existing workers but also to attract new ones.

The Workforce Development Plan was developed in a partnership of eight peak bodies: the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council Tasmania, Family Services Asso-ciation, Mental Health Council of Tasmania, Multicultural Council of Tasmania, Shelter Tasmania, Tas-manian Council of Social Service, Tasmanian Association of Commu-nity Houses and the Youth Network of Tasmania.

Extensive consultation confirmed a number of trends that needed to be addressed by a strategic ap-proach:

Within the workforce itself: an age-ing workforce and state demo-graphic, a two-track workforce, the need to upskill and profession-alise our workforce.

Within service delivery for our com-munities: changing service models, increased and more complex cli-ent demands, increased compli-ance and reporting requirements, increased focus on outcomes re-porting.

The Plan provides a framework to address the trends and create a relevant, skilled and sustainable workforce.

Priority 1: Increasing and retaining our current and future workforceCreate attractive and accessible career options for our current and future workforce.

• Prioritise the development of management skills and knowl-

edge to support positive, pro-ductive organisational cultures.

• Increase access to external clinical and professional super-vision.

• Articulate and facilitate career pathways that build on the ex-isting diversity of entry points and address minimum qualifi-cations for job roles.

• Coordinate annual presence and engagement with career planning and promotion events and mechanisms.

Priority 2: Building workforce development and planning capacity across the sectorImprove information and data about our workforce, as the basis for improving our capacity for stra-tegic future-focused workforce de-velopment and planning.

• Establish simple mechanisms for accessing relevant and useful DHHS data.

• Leverage resources to col-lect, collate and analyse data about the sector to build an up-dated sector workforce profile.

• Identify investment in work-force development capacity for specialist peaks.

Priority 3: Raising and updating our skills right across the sectorWork in partnership with education institutions to create developmen-tal pathways that reflect the needs of our current and future workforce.

• Build the required qualifications and skill sets for both profession-al and non-professional roles.

• Improve pathways between the training sectors that will sup-port community service organi-sations needs.

• Annually increase investment in VET training for both work-force segments.

• Increase individual employee access to foundation skills, in-cluding core numeracy and literacy skills.

The next step is implementing the Plan, which will involve all organisa-tions thinking about how they can act and how to ensure TasCOSS provides development that suits your needs.

TasCOSS is setting up a Round Ta-ble to oversee progress on the Plan’s actions. Membership and terms are being developed with peak bodies. We aim to hold the first meeting in May.

TasCOSS is also developing the scope, mechanisms and resources needed to conduct a regular sec-tor profile. We plan to consult with organisations and have the scope developed by June.

In the longer term, TasCOSS is de-veloping programs over the next three years to boost community sector organisations’ skills, knowl-edge and capabilities in six ar-eas: governance; management and leadership; core literacy skills; healthy workplace cultures; com-munications; and infrastructure.

Another crucial area of work will be discussions with education and training providers on how we can create accredited skills and quali-fications and developmental path-ways tailored to our sector’s needs within the six capacity-building are-as listed in the previous paragraph.

TasCOSS will be in touch with mem-ber organisations over the coming months to develop these actions and we look forward to hearing what your priorities are for your own organisation and the sector.

Download the Workforce Development Plan 2012-15 from www.tascoss.org.au To discuss the Plan, contact Dale Rah-manovic or Lindsey Moffatt at TasCOSS on 6231 0755.

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Measuring up to the taskThe Partnership Agreement makes it imperative that we articulate the social outcomes of our work

What are our partnership agreements really for?

I’ve held a nagging concern since the late 1990s, when the UK Compact was agreed be-tween government and the third sector, and now, as I have observed Tasmania’s Partner-ship Agreement between the State Government and the third sector developing.

While a Partnership Agreement is valuable in itself for setting out an aspiration for the way we want to work, if we can’t agree on what we’re trying to achieve for our communities and how we’re tracking, are our partner-ship agreements worth the pa-per they’re printed on?

Why, despite often long-term funding relationships, do we in the third sector often get asked by our funders “What exactly do you do?”.

Andrew Young, the new CEO of the UNSW Centre for Social Im-pact, made a powerful point at the Centre’s Measuring Social Outcomes Conference in Febru-ary 2013.

Dr Young proposed that we have the opportunity as a social impact system – those involved in the partnership of investing in and delivering social outcomes – to base what we do on a stronger definition and meas-urement of outcomes. In doing so, we could make a quantum change in the effectiveness of our system “if we get a few things right”.

Well, in Tasmania, we are em-barking on a journey to make that quantum leap. Our current community services landscape includes consumer-driven and increased service demand; the increased drive by our funders and consumers for transpar-

ency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness; increased competition – both across indus-tries for quality and skilled staff and within the community ser-vices sector for contracts; and tightened public funding.

This ‘perfect storm’ has sown seeds of good will

This ‘perfect storm’ has sown seeds of good will amongst the community services sector and government to make that leap in agreeing and articulating positive social outcomes and improving the effectiveness of our services.

Since the CSI conference, I’ve reflected on some of the princi-ples needed to “get a few things right” and how Tassie is tracking on this path.

Principle 1.We need to evaluate in contextWe need relevant population data on social outcomes in or-der to benchmark our achieve-ments, as the NSW Local Com-munity Services Association’s Brian Smith reminded delegates at the Measuring Social Out-comes Conference.

For more than 10 years, Tasma-nia has benefited from a glob-ally admired social outcomes vision and data set – Tasmania Together.

The future of Tasmania Togeth-er is uncertain but we have a great opportunity as part of our Partnership Agreement to advocate for a continued rel-evant data set, using the princi-ples outlined here, to enable us to continue to track how we’re doing at a state and commu-nity level.

cont: page 6

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Principle 2. We need to co-produce our social outcomesMany contributors at the Meas-uring Social Outcome Confer-ence, including Net Balance’s Les Hems and Social Return on Investment Network’s Jeremy Nicholls, told delegates that co-production of social outcomes measurement is crucial.

I was fortunate enough to at-tend the conference with repre-sentatives from Tasmania’s De-partment of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Community Ser-vices Relations Unit.

This has provided a platform for preliminary discussions with DHHS about building a shared perfor-mance measurement and re-porting framework for Tasmanian community services and DHHS.

This would be based on a shared approach to agreeing theories of change, program develop-ment approaches, social out-comes and evaluation.

This would mean that, rather than being given project outcomes or outputs to achieve, then be-ing reviewed and evaluated by DHHS, organisations would be co-producing project outcomes, reviews and evaluation with their government funders.

At the other end of the spec-trum, TasCOSS has an evolving consumer engagement pro-gram, building the capacity of our Health and Community Care (HACC) providers to engage their consumers in every level, from governance, through plan-ning to evaluation.

We plan to cascade these skills to organisations throughout our sector as part of our future ca-pacity building, to develop the outcomes we want for our com-munities with our communities – our beneficiaries, the communi-ties they live in, those who deliver services and those funding such interventions.

It’s an exciting start coming from both ends of the co-production spectrum!

New partnership with government

A new Partnership Agreement between the State Government and the Tasmanian community sector was signed on 31 October 2012.

The Agreement was developed in recognition of the mutual reliance between the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the independent service delivery organisations they fund.

It recognises the importance of a strong relationship to ensure effective public policy and best service outcomes for all Tasmanians.

“This Agreement has been many years in the making and will help forge stronger links between the Tasmanian Government and community sector organisations to ensure their role is recognised and strengthened,” Premier Lara Giddings said on 31 October.

The Agreement provides a framework of shared values, principles, roles and priority goals to refer to in developing and implementing working relationships.

Principles for working together

• Independence

• Collaboration, communication and consultation

• Recognition of diversity

• Evidence-based policy and practice

• Accountability to the Partnership

The Partnership Agreement 2012-15 and other information is available on the TasCOSS website, www.tascoss.org.au

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Principle 3. We need to embed social outcomes measurement in our planning and learn from what we doEmbedding social outcomes measurement into strategic planning, program develop-ment, implementation and routine reporting is, as Good Beginnings’Jayne Meyer Tucker told delegates at the CSI confer-ence, “the only way”.

The Benevolent Society’s Sarah Fogg reminded delegates that the work starts after evaluation: lessons and actions need to be implemented.

Both point to our need to de-velop and maintain partnerships that support co-production of program development, as well as program management and reporting systems, along with space to make mistakes, learn from our evaluations and adapt our programs and practice if they don’t work as we expect.

This requires willingness for part-ners to support, rather than pun-ish, adaptive management and practice – a reality when work-ing with changing community needs, attitudes, values and be-haviour.

TasCOSS intends to nurture these values as part of the ongoing Partnership Agreement here in Tasmania.

As I write this, our sector’s peak bodies and the DHHS Commu-nity Services Relations Unit are working with their members and contract managers across the state to start those difficult con-versations about how we create meaningful contractual relation-ships between funders and pro-viders that are genuinely about partnership, not about scrutiny.

Principle 4. We need to build ownership and capacity in measuring social outcomesTaking everyone on the journey is essential. That means every-one – both in the community sector and government – needs to feel they have ownership

The TasCOSS homepage, www.tascoss.org.au, has a link to some presentations from the CSI Measuring Social Outcomes Conference. A social outcomes hub will be developed on the TasCOSS website in coming months.

For more information on measuring social outcomes contact Tim Tabart or Lindsey Moffatt at TasCOSS on 6231 0755.

To join the Social Impact Measurement Network Australia and become part of the Tasmanian network, contact SIMNA convenor Martina Lyons on 0407 227 007 or email martina@simna.com.au

Lindsey Moffatt

Manager, TasCOSS Sector Development Unit

along with the understanding, skills and tools to do this.

TasCOSS has committed to de-veloping the Tasmanian com-munity sector’s capacity to de-velop, measure and report on social outcomes over the com-ing three years. We expect that DHHS funding agreement man-agers will be taking the same journey. This will include:

• Building understanding and tools through online resources and referral to consultants who can support them.

• Building our sector’s under-standing and skills through training and seminars on the benefits and approaches to outcome measurement and reporting.

• Developing and conven-ing the Tasmanian branch of the newly formed Social Im-pact Measurement Network Australia (SIMNA); facilitating peer learning around this is-sue to expand and deepen our skills and confidence.

• Using community sector or-ganisations’ experiences to advocate for improved pro-cesses, policies, support and resources, where needed.

So to go back to my questions:

Why, despite often long-term funding relationships, do we get asked by our funders “What ex-actly do you do?”. Perhaps we do not invest enough time in defining and building our part-nerships to a level of genuinely co-producing social outcomes for our communities. Although it does take two to tango!

If we want to move our perfor-mance and evaluation relation-ships away from scrutiny and towards partnership working, we need to develop an open and honest dialogue with our funders

about the way we want to work together and what we’re trying to achieve for our communities.

So what is our Tasmanian Part-nership Agreement really for? If our Partnership Agreement is to provide the framework for real and positive impacts for our communities and for us, I have ambitions that it will stand for four things:

It will help us clarify what we’re trying to achieve with and for our communities (and how).

It will make us better at measur-ing and articulating what differ-ences we’re making in the com-munities we work with.

It will make sure we stay relevant and adaptive to our communi-ties’ needs.

it will help us talk about what we need from a genuine partner-ship to co-produce social out-comes with and for our Tasma-nian communities. That includes the space to make mistakes and to learn from our evaluations.

days at Lake Pedder. We came home on Thursday night at 8.30pm and the fire was burning between Forcett and Copping. We thought, ‘Uh oh, not looking good’. Once it came through on Friday morning we knew we were in for it,” she said.

CommunicationsShe and her partner spent Fri-day preparing their property against the fire threat. On Satur-day morning, with the power out all over the Peninsula, they took their generator to the Neigh-bourhood House at Nubeena.

“We got the generator going to pump water from the tanks so people could have cold water and we fired up the computers,” Yve said.

“Saturday, Sunday, Monday we had hundreds of people com-ing in. We had one landline and three computers going and we put power cords out so people could charge their phones.

“We had a continuous run of people coming in for commu-nications with the outside world: tourists calling about flights and all that sort of stuff, then local people trying to get in touch with families and to see if their property was all right, people fearful about the safety of their families. A lot of people who came in were finding that their properties had been destroyed.

“We got food and play equip-ment in, and had lots of fami-lies coming over to use the play equipment. Lots of people were finding it pretty intense at the Civic Centre and we were a smaller space – a bit more of a chill-out space. “

On Sunday, Yve found out that the Dunalley Neighbourhood House was still standing. It took two days before they could

reach there because of the clo-sure of the Arthur Highway.

“We brought our generator so we could offer cold water, power, communications. A Tel-stra technician scored us a new generator and rigged it into our hot-water cylinder so we could also offer hot showers. We went up to the Dunalley Pub to go “shopping” for soap and sham-poo. Then we had a continuous revolving door of people com-ing in for hot showers.

“People ... were physically and emotionally shattered”

“We had a local GP coming down twice a week to Dunal-ley. We also offered free mas-sages a couple of times a week for the first few weeks, with 15 to 20 people a week coming for one – local people who had been fighting fires, who had just been going and going for days, people who were physically and emotionally shattered.”

There were also counsellors on hand if needed by people who were dropping in for other rea-sons.

“It was nine days that the area was in lockdown and it was at least another couple of weeks after the roads opened that people felt comfortable to leave. Because so many proper-ties were lost, people just want-ed to stay here – it was a very intense period,” Yve said.

Red Cross Tasmania executive director Ian Burke realised a bushfire emergency was unfold-ing on the afternoon of 4 Janu-ary as he and his staff monitored the situation via the radio and the TFS website. 8

Cool in a crisisThe community sector played a vital role in the 2013 bushfire emergency. A small local organisation and a big national one talk about the experience

asmanians had barely greet-ed the New Year when bush-fires flared across the state in January, destroying 111 homes, tens of thousands of hectares of bush and farmland, shacks, farm buildings, business premises, public infrastructure and other property.

A state-record high tempera-ture of 41.8C on the Friday, 4 January, coupled with ferocious winds, turned a fire at Forcett, southeast of Hobart, into an un-stoppable force.

It burnt through to cause major destruction at Dunalley, where it jumped the Denison canal and forged on through Murdunna and Eaglehawk Neck, crossing the bay to threaten Taranna and other townships.

While paid and volunteer fire crews battled to control blazes around the state, including at Bicheno, the Upper Derwent Valley and Montumana on the North-West Coast, another group of workers stepped up to do their bit.

Community sector organisa-tions worked hand-in-hand with emergency services, the State Government and spontaneous volunteers to shelter and support the people fleeing the bushfire threat that long, hot and fright-ening weekend.

Thousands of residents, holi-day-makers and tourists were trapped on the Tasman Penin-sula and forced to seek refuge at the Tasman Civic Centre at Nubeena.

Yve Earnshaw, coordinator of the Dunalley Tasman Neigh-bourhood House, was right on the spot when things went crazy.

“I live on the Tasman Peninsula at Roaring Beach. My partner and I had been away for a few

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“It was a relatively straightfor-ward emergency response because of the planning, de-ployment and the hard work of people within the Tasmanian Government, who were working day and night for six weeks,” he said.

Yve Earnshaw struggled to find time to reflect on the events of January, as the Neighbourhood House is still busy running a host of programs to assist in the lo-cal recovery, along with its usual core work.

“I think we did pretty well. I think we met needs that were within our capacities, and trying to do it in coordination,” she said of the Neighbourhood House ef-forts.

“We play an essential role in communities but in situations like this we play a small role. It’s the emergency services, DHHS and Red Cross doing the lion’s share of the work.”

The Red Cross response was swift and well practised. The organi-sation took a role it has been carrying out and refining since Red Cross Societies first went to front line in 1870 during the Fran-co-Prussian War.

“How the Red Cross works is that we’re not state-based – we are one national organisation. In the Victorian bushfires, the Queens-land cyclone, the Queensland floods, we deployed a standing army of trained staff and volun-teers from around the country.

Auxiliary to government “Within two days 20 people had arrived in Hobart from all over Australia to work from Red Cross House to perform roles they have been trained in.”

By Saturday afternoon the Red Cross had set up the Tasmanian Bushfire Appeal at the request of the State Government. The Red Cross also had a National Registration and Inquiry System up and running on Saturday for evacuees to register their de-tails.

“The reason we play these roles is that we are not a charity – our status is as an ‘auxiliary to gov-ernment in the humanitarian space’. If there’s a major emer-gency, federal or state govern-ments can call on us to work with them,” Ian explained.

He said the Tasmanian Emer-gency Management Plan pro-vided the guidelines for what each of the major agencies took responsibility for in the emergency.

“The TEMP sets out how the Red Cross will work in with Centrelink, DHHS, Tas Police and Fire, and a whole lot of other agencies.“

Other community sector organi-sations involved included:

• Volunteering Tasmania, which co-ordinated a volun-teer register.

• St Vincent de Paul, which set up a collection centre for donated goods and provid-ed emergency care packs through the refuge centres.

• The Salvation Army, which

provided emergency bed-ding, food supplies, clothing and financial assistance. The Salvos also provided food and drink to members of the emergency services and the military.

The TEMP does not include small-er organisations in its scope. However, an Active Partners program set up by the State Government was scheduled to hold its first meeting in late March.

“A whole lot of organisations will contribute to the bushfire recovery, engaged through the Active Partners program,” Ian said. “And this recovery work is going to go on for two years.”

Ian, who is a member of the Tasmanian Bushfire Recovery Taskforce and the State Gov-ernment’s Independent Bushfire Appeal Distribution Committee, believes the emergency was well handled.

Gabrielle Rish

TasCOSS Communications and Membership Officer

Yve Earnshaw, left, and Ian Burke

10

Portrait of the Tasmanian community: census data and other statisticsAt-a-glance guide to key state demographics

PopulationAccording to the 2011 census, the population of Tasmania has increased by 18,870 people since 2006 to a total of 495,352 in 2011. This represents a 4% increase in population compared to an 8.3% increase nationally.

Tasmania is the oldest state, with a median age of 40 years, the next oldest being South Australia which has median age of 39 years.

The number of young people in Tasmania aged 12-24 years re-mained virtually unchanged be-tween 2006 and 2011 – making Tasmania the only state to have 0% inter-censal change for this age-group. However due to the growth in the population overall this age group now makes up a slightly smaller percentage of the total population – 16.5% in 2011. Interestingly, the percent-age is 16.5% in each of the three regions, which means our young people are proportionately spread throughout the state.

IncomeThe 2011 census tells us that the weekly median income of an in-dividual in Tasmania is $499. This figure hovers very close to the poverty line of $457 for a single person in the workforce, as set by the Melbourne Institute.

A comparison of weekly full-time earnings shows that Tasmania is well behind at only 88% of the na-tional rate.

EmploymentIn October 2012, 60.6% of persons in Tasmania aged 15 years and over reported being in the labour force (compared to 65% for Aus-tralia). This is slightly improved on the figure from the 2006 census of 57.3% and the 2011 census figure of 57.8%.

There were 234,800 employed people in Tasmania in October 2012.

Of those who reported being em-ployed full-time, 65% were males and 35% were females. The fig-ures were in reverse proportion for those who reported being employed part-time, 68.8% were females and 31.2% were males.

The unemployment rate for Tas-mania in October 2012 was 6.6% (compared to 5.2% for Australia).

There were 16,700 unemployed people in Tasmania in October 2012. In September 2012, 4200 people were classified as long-term unemployed (more than 12 months).

In 2011, the largest proportion of employed persons in Tasmania aged 15 years and over reported working in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry (12%), surpassing the Retail Trade indus-

try, which had held the largest proportion in 2006.

The proportion of employed per-sons aged over 15 who reported manufacturing as their industry of employment has declined to 8.7% in 2011 from 10.3% in 2006. This represents an actual decline in the number of persons who reported being employed in this industry of 2209 persons. The ef-fect of this decline has dispropor-tionally affected regional areas of the state, as manufacturing does not fall in the top five industries for Greater Hobart. Additionally, this decline has disproportionally af-fected males, as 76.4% of persons working in the manufacturing in-dustry in 2011 were males.

By comparison, in 2011 80% of those working in the industries of Health Care and Social Assis-tance were female, 70% of those in Education and Training were female, and 59% in Retail Trade were female.

Many will be familiar with the fact that a third of Tasmanians have government benefits as their pri-mary source of income. The fig-ures here are from 2009-10, and are likely to be higher now.

2011 2006Health Care and Social Assistance 12.0% 11.4% Retail Trade 11.3% 11.9% Public Administration and Safety 9.0% 8.4% Education and Training 9.0% 8.3% Manufacturing 8.7% 10.3%

Top five Industries in 2011 (employed persons aged 15 years and over)

Tasmania AustraliaGovernment benefit as primary income (2009-10)

32.3% 22.6%

Proportion of children under 15 living in families where no resident parent is employed (2010)

19.2% 15.4%

Government benefits and support

2006Individual – $398Household – $800Family – $1032

2011Individual – $499Household – $948Family – $1202

Weekly median income

Tasmania Australia$1196.20 $1352.70

Weekly full time adult ordinary time earnings

Meg Webb

TasCOSS, Social Policy and Research Unit

Compared to the national figure, Tasmania also has a higher pro-portion of children under 15 years living in families where no resident parent is employed – the Tasma-nian figure is nearly one in five.

HousingThe Tasmanian median house-hold weekly rent of $135 in 2006 increased by $65, or nearly 50%, to be $200 in 2011.

Median household monthly mort-gage repayments have also in-creased by 50% from $867 in 2006 to $1300 in 2011 – an increase of $433.

According to the 2011 census, 32 persons per 10,000 in Tasmania were homeless, compared with 49 per 10,000 for Australia as a whole. Young people and indig-enous Tasmanians were over-rep-resented in the homelessness fig-ures, with 30% of those who were homeless in Tasmania under the age of 25, and 11% indigenous.

EducationThe 2011 census showed signs of improvement and growth in the achievement of tertiary educa-tion in Tasmania since 2006. There was a 50.5% increase in number of persons who reported com-pleting a Postgraduate Degree, and the gender balance was nearly even. (See table)

There was an increase of 38% in the numbers of those who report-ing a Graduate Diploma or Grad-

uate Certificate as their highest level of education. There was also an increase of 19% in the number of persons who reported com-pleting a Bachelor Degree as their highest level of education.

Transport

Children and young peopleA person’s future health, wellbe-ing and success is often deter-mined by the circumstances of their childhood. The situation for young Tasmanians compares well to the national average on some measures. (See table)

Cost of livingWe know that the rise in cost of living has been affecting low-income and disadvantaged Tasmanians in recent years, par-ticularly increases in the cost of energy and utilities. When you look at the figures in this table it is little wonder that the commu-nity sector has seen significant increases in ‘the working poor’ seeking assistance. 2011 Total 2006 Total

Postgraduate Degree 2.4% 1.7% Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate 1.5% 1.1% Bachelor Degree 10.3% 9.1% Advanced Diploma and Diploma 6.6% 5.9% Certificate III/IV 17.3% 14.9%Year 12 12.5% 12.2% Year 11 or below (includes Certificate I/II/nfd) 38.0% 41.4%

Highest Level of Education (all persons aged 15 years and over)

HealthWe can see in the table, right, that for many health issues Tas-mania isn’t doing well. We know that these health outcomes can be linked to many of those things covered in the statistics above – the social determinants of health such as housing, poverty, educa-tion and transport.

We have a particular opportu-nity, and should be strongly moti-vated, to act more effectively to address these determinants here in Tasmania if we are to improve the health and wellbeing of our community.

11

Percentage of people in lowest income quintile with transport difficulties (2010)

26%

Percentage of adults describing themselves as unemployed with transport difficulties

33.5%

Percentage of renters with the state housing authority with transport difficulties

41.6%

Percentage of those with self-described health status of ‘poor’ with transport difficulties

39.6%.

Transport disadvantage

Cost of food/electricity/housing/transport/health as proportion of low-income couple (2011)

75%

Cost of food/electricity/housing/transport/health as proportion of low-income family (2011)

95%

Household expenditure

Tasmania AustraliaLife expectancy 78 male

82.3 female79.5 male 84 female

Current smokers (over 18) (2008)

27.7% male 24.7% female

23% male 19% female

Cardiovascular disease deaths (2011)

107 per 100,000

95 per 100,000

High blood pressure (over 18) (2010)

15.4% 12%

Cancer as main cause of death (2010)

193 per 100,000

172 per 100,000

Persons self-reporting high to very high levels of psychological distress (2011-2012)

9% 10.8%

Profound or severe core activity limitation (2009)

7% 4.8%

Health indicators

Tasmania AustraliaChildren under 15 in lone parent families (2011) 24.5% 19.0%Children in out-of-home care (number, 2012) 1008Children in out-of-home care, rate per 1000 7.5 7.0Persons aged 15-19 not fully engaged in education or employment (2011)

10% 14%

School leavers aged 15-19 not fully engaged in education or employment (2011)

25.6% 31.8%

Children and young people

In Tasmania we see that transport difficulties affect people in al-ready disadvantaged groups at very high rates, often compound-ing their disadvantage. (See ta-ble)

12

HACC project produces consumer engagement how-to manual Consumer engagement is largely in its infancy in Tasmania but knowledge and practice are developing well

Join the NetworkTasCOSS is setting up a new Tasmanian Consumer Engagement Network for consumer engagement workers across the state to share ideas, information and to offer peer support and encouragement. If you are interested in the network, please contact Klaus Baur of the TasCOSS Sector Development Unit on (03) 6231 0755 or klaus@tascoss.org.au for a discussion.

The Tasmanian Home and Community Care program, sup-ported by a dedicated TasCOSS HACC consumer engagement project, has shifted in its under-standing and direction since 2009 from ad hoc consumer consulta-tions to more integrated, continu-ous consumer engagement.

As well as assisting in the change of thinking, the TasCOSS project has aimed to offer more practi-cal support to service providers, based on recognised national and international good practice and innovation.

“Whatever you do, think consum-er engagement” was shared by a coordinator of one of the more forward-looking HACC services. It was the motto adopted by a group of consumers, HACC work-ers and stakeholders who devel-oped the first Consumer Engage-ment Model and Tool Kit in 2010.

Further work led to five pilot pro-jects, which utilised the model, the Tool Kit and a broadened understanding. Other providers made consumer engagement changes or tried new ways to en-gage without formally participat-ing in a project.

Aspects of narrative inquiry were used to document the experi-ences of staff and consumers and to share them at a statewide HACC consumer engagement forum.

Despite the informal nature of the pilots, the stories of providers were heartening; project participants frequently shared about new openings, new ways of relating and the joy experienced.

“I find that to be able to see clients’ confidence grow and change is wonderful.”

“It was amazing to see how bloody keen people are to share their ideas, thoughts and passions if you open the door for them, and the way that impacts upon everybody else.”

“…. the [consumer engagement] day changed some of the dy-namics of the whole group; it en-ergised the program, the enthu-siasm and the way participants care for each other.”

Additional findings were that in consumer engagement, even small changes, small activities, can have a profound impact on both staff and consumers.

”What has amazed me is how something so simple [one con-sumer engagement activity] can have such a dramatic effect, not only on what the program or the organisation achieves, but also personally,” one service provider said.

Another said: ”It is a hearts and minds thing.”

The TasCOSS HACC consumer en-gagement project has produced an extensive consumer engage-ment literature review. This con-

tains national, international and five Tasmanian non-HACC good practice examples. The report also contains the project reports from the initial five HACC provid-ers participating in the pilots.

In many ways the project’s find-ings were that consumer engage-ment is in its beginnings. This was also found to be the case across the wider community services sector and government, apart from pockets of good practice.

Consumer engagement handbookExtensive, often academically fo-cused good-practice examples and reports, similar to the one the project produced, are often far from being easily translated into daily planned and unplanned, attentive and consistent prac-tice.

An exciting possibility of a new project emerged: to write a practical, easy-to-use yet com-prehensive and holistic consumer engagement handbook, based on the experiences, stories and everyone’s learning over the past two to three years.

13 Klaus Baur

TasCOSS HACC Project Officer, Consumer Engagement

The resulting handbook, pub-lished by TasCOSS in September 2012, was based on a consulta-tive approach bringing together individuals’ expertise, the wider HACC provider and stakeholder teams’ know-how, the TasCOSS team and specialist expertise, all added to by a even broader range of colleagues and consult-ants to achieve the task.

The main three sections of the handbook are on planning, im-plementing and evaluating a consumer engagement project or activity.

An additional thread guiding readers through the handbook is 26 simple, sequential, structured and tested activities. Following these activities one’s consumer engagement project naturally unfolds (even if you skip some).

Tips and helpful hints are scat-tered throughout the handbook and so are short case studies and examples from the projects, to inspire and guide. The book also has links to a broader range of consumer engagement tools and practical resources.

Even though the handbook is in-tended to support the Tasmanian HACC program and its frail elder-ly consumers and consumers with disabilities, it is equally generic in its design and application.

A very gratifying testimonial for the handbook came recently from Dr Tere Dawson, Senior Project and Policy Coordinator at Victoria’s health consumer organisation, the Health Issues Centre.

“The Consumer Engagement Handbook for HACC Services in Tasmania … is a great resource for health services and com-munity organisations aiming at implementing community, con-sumer and carer engagement initiatives,” Dr Dawson said.

“The handbook is full of good ideas and tools to plan, imple-ment and evaluate consumer engagement projects and is very user-friendly. I have it as a PDF on my desktop and often search for specific concepts, activities or tools when I need a quick refer-ence for myself or for others who

ask advice from us here at the Health Issues Centre.”

The Health Issues Centre’s sole role for more than 25 years has been to work with consumers and organisations around con-sumer engagement programs, projects or issues. The Centre was instrumental in supporting/fa-cilitating many of Victoria’s now leading consumer engagement programs across government and community services.

It has also worked with Tasma-nia’s Department of Health and Human Services in the produc-tion of the ‘Your Care, Your Say’ consumer engagement strategy and action plan.

Looking forwardThe TasCOSS HACC 2012/13 con-sumer engagement project is well under way. The focus is on innovation and sustainability.

The project aims to offer sup-port to a group of 15 participat-ing providers as they develop more comprehensive projects and supplementary formal train-ing to improve overall consumer engagement understanding and the building of capacity.

This year’s work will be supported though a closer partnership be-tween the Health Issues Centre and TasCOSS.

The 15 providers participating in the project are from both gov-ernment and community sector services. They have signed up to plan, implement and review a consumer engagement project or activity to extend whatever they presently do in relation to consumer engagement. Sup-port, mentoring and overall con-sultancy services are provided through the Health Issues Centre-TasCOSS partnership.

One of the highlights of this year’s work is the introduction of na-tionally accredited consumer engagement training for the first time in any service or organisa-tion in Tasmania. Two modules of the Graduate Certificate in Con-sumer Engagement will be de-livered to a group of staff/team leaders from participating HACC services.

There are plans in place to deliver the full four modules, to evaluate the training, to evaluate the im-pact of the training on the practi-cal projects and to report to the wider HACC sector, and hope-fully also to the wider health and community services sectors, in the second half of the year.

The HACC Consumer Engagement Handbook and Literature Review/Pro-ject Report are available on the Tas-COSS website www.tascoss.org.au

Participants at a 2009 TasCOSS statewide forum of staff and client-consumers.

14

Joining the transport dots The low-cost solution to transport disadvantage in Tasmania may lie in better coordination between existing transport services

Missing the bus

From the ABS General Social Survey: Tasmania 2006 and 2010

• In 2010 25.9% of Tasmanians in the lowest quintile of income could not easily get to the places they needed to go – up from 22.5% in 2006.

• For adults describing themselves as unemployed, this figure rose to 33.5%.

• For renters with the state housing authority, the figure was 41.6%, with 46.2% lacking access to a vehicle.

• For people with self-described poor health status, the figure was 39.6%.

Transport disadvantage is rife in Tasmania, partly because of demographics, partly because much of Tasmania’s popula-tion lives outside urban areas and partly because of previous practices of developing public housing estates on the outskirts of main population centres.

Transport-disadvantaged peo-ple include those who have difficulty getting to where they need to go due to age, illness, disability, or financial constraints, particularly those who are geo-graphically isolated.

A wide variety of passenger transport providers operate in Tasmania, including subsidised and unsubsidised route passen-ger services, commercial ‘gener-al hire’ services (including taxis), and publicly and privately fund-ed not-for-profit services.

However, despite the improve-ments initiated by the 2007 Core Passenger Service Review, trans-port services in the state are largely characterised by:

Limited hours and frequency of operations

Limited geographic scope

Limited integration in ticketing, physical location and timetables

Limited affordability

Limited eligibility

These limitations create severe barriers for transport-disadvan-taged Tasmanians who live in, or need to access, areas outside those covered by transport ser-vices, who live too far from ser-vice routes to be able to walk to bus stops or need to go to des-tinations that are too far from service routes to be able to walk from bus stops.

People are also stuck when they need transport outside the hours of service or at times other than the service times, particularly in the case of infrequent or trun-cated service timetables.

The need to use more than one provider or route service to com-plete a journey throws up prob-lems of walking between the dif-ferent terminals and stops, and a lack of coordination between the timetables and ticketing sys-tems of different providers and/or route services.

There is also the problem of meeting the cost of fares, even with concessions and/or the Transport Access Scheme.

These issues not only severely hamper transport-disadvan-taged people; they also discour-age people with access to a car from shifting away from driving towards more environmentally sustainable and healthy public or communal transport.

No one service can be expected to solve these problems. How-ever, better coordination and integration between existing services, as well as innovation in service types and funding, has the potential to begin to address these problems at relatively low cost.

Cross-service approach TasCOSS consultations to date suggest that many people in the passenger transport sector al-ready have good ideas for how better coordination and integra-tion could be achieved, as well as for innovations in the sector.

What the state currently lacks, however, is an environment where transport providers and key stakeholders in the transport and social inclusion fields can come together to discuss:

Prospects for improved informa-tion-sharing, coordination and integration between existing ser-vices.

Possible new service models for existing providers.

Possible new providers – social enterprises, for instance.

The legal and regulatory instru-ments necessary for innovation.

TasCOSS and Regional Develop-ment Australia/Tasmania spon-sored an initial meeting of key stakeholders in the transport and social inclusion fields, held on 18 December 2012.

Stakeholders agreed that:

1. All levels and areas of govern-ment—state, local and region-al—need to work together to develop a long-term, evidence-based strategic vision and ac-tion plan for transport; to coor-dinate transport initiatives; and to cooperate in the provision of transport infrastructure such as bus stops and cycle paths.

15 Wynne Russell

TasCOSS Social Policy and Research Unit

2. Transport concerns must be integrated into most areas of policy-making, particularly health, education, economic development and spatial plan-ning. At the same time, the state government level urgently needs a focal point for transport issues, which currently fall across many departments.

3. There is a need for a whole-of-transport-sector approach that includes general access and private bus services, not-for-profit services, taxis, carpooling, innovations in car ‘ownership’ such as car sharing, active trans-port (walking and cycling) and other forms of personal mobility (for example, assisted forms such as mobility scooters) – as well as any other possible areas of inno-vation.

4. One-size-fits-all approaches do not work well for addressing the needs of transport-disadvan-taged communities and cohorts; place-based solutions and pro-grams designed to address the needs of specific groups will be necessary.

5. Tasmanians badly need a centralised information site to help them identify and access transport services and options – general access, private, not-for-profit, car-pooling, car shar-ing, and active transport – in their areas. In many instances, adequate services and conces-sions exist but people don’t know that they’re there, or how to use them, or whether they’re eligible for concessions.

TasCOSS has put in a bid for funding for a facilitation project, “Transport in the Community: Integration and Innovation for Social Inclusion” in its 2013-2014 Budget Priority Statement. If funded, this project will enable TasCOSS to play a facilitating role for further discussions on the issue and to dedicate a resource to exploring the issues.

We envisage the transport pro-ject leading to preliminary iden-tification of key issues facing both transport-disadvantaged Tasmanians and the Tasmanian transport sector, and of poten-tial areas for information-sharing,

coordination, integration and in-novation.

The project would involve a se-ries of facilitated discussions, over the course of six months, between Tasmanian transport providers and key stakeholders around opportunities for infor-mation-sharing, coordination, integration and innovation, and practical ways in which these can be achieved.

These may include peak-level discussions of statewide issues, regional discussions involving a greater degree of community participation, and/or sectoral discussions designed to address specific transport industry sector issues.

Brainstorming workshopA one-day brainstorming work-shop will bring together Tasma-nian discussion participants and innovators in the Australian trans-port field, including academics, policy analysts or providers from other states and social entrepre-neurs.

It is also hoped to develop a model for a public information

source (website/phone) to pro-vide information on all existing transport options: general access and private bus and coach ser-vices, not-for-profit services, taxis, carpooling, and active transport initiatives, so transport users can find out what services are availa-ble for the trip they wish to make, timetables, fare structures and booking websites.

In support of the project, Tas-COSS is currently mapping those not-for-profit services that will not be covered by the mapping of Home and Community Care-funded services by Ambulance Tasmania.

This will lead to the creation of a comprehensive map of transport resources in the state and identi-fication of areas in the state most likely to contain concentrations of transport disadvantage.

For more information about the TasCOSS Transport in the Com-munity Project, contact Wynne Russell on (03) 6231 0755 or wynne@tascoss.org.au

Tasmania’s sprawling demographic presents a challenge to providers of transport services

16

that are not charities, but this will not happen before 2014 and would require a decision of the Commonwealth Government.

The ACNC has stated that its reg-ulatory approach is focused on supporting charities to meet their responsibilities. Regulatory powers will be used when it is necessary to maintain public trust and confi-dence in the sector (for example, organisations not acting for their charitable purpose). These pow-ers range from warnings to, in ex-treme circumstances, cancelling a charity’s registration.

Reporting to other agenciesOther commonwealth and state government agencies will retain their own reporting requirements for charities. However, the ACNC is also working with state and terri-tory governments (as well as indi-vidual federal, state and territory government agencies) to devel-op a ‘report-once, use-often’ re-porting framework for charities.

A key to this will be the develop-ment of a Charity Passport. The Charity Passport will be used by the ACNC to reduce reporting duplication over time. It will be a collection of information that

government agencies will use as a way of electronically sharing and using information collected from registered charities.

Once the Charity Passport is in place, charities will report once to the ACNC, then other authorised government agencies will access that information from the pass-port. This is a mandatory require-ment for agencies subject to the updated Commonwealth Grant Guidelines.

The ACNC was set up as part of the Commonwealth Govern-ment’s broad reform agenda for the not-for-profit sector. Treasury is leading the reform in partnership with the Office of the Not-for-Profit Sector (Department of Prime Min-ister and Cabinet) and in consul-tation with the Not-For-Profit Sec-tor Reform Council.

There are three core areas of work in this reform process:

• Regulatory reform – includ-ing establishing the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and introducing a new statutory definition of charity.

• Tax reform – including reform-ing the regulation and taxa-tion of the NFP sector.

• Funding reform – including streamlining government fund-ing agreements and reporting requirements.

These reforms are taking place un-der the framework of the National Compact – the agreement be-tween the Commonwealth Gov-ernment and the not-for-profit sector on how they work together to achieve common goals.

The Commonwealth Government is also working with state govern-ments to reduce the regulatory burden on the sector. Through the Council of Australian Govern-ments (COAG), this work includes:

The Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission opened its doors on 3 December 2012 as Australia’s first independent na-tional regulator of charities.

The ACNC’s objectives are to:

• Maintain, protect and en-hance public trust and con-fidence in the sector through increased accountability and transparency.

• Support and sustain a robust, vibrant, independent and in-novative NFP sector.

• Promote the reduction of un-necessary regulatory obliga-tions on the sector.

The ACNC will register organisa-tions as charities, help charities understand and meet their ob-ligations and maintain a public register so that anyone can look up information about registered charities.

The Australian Taxation Office remains responsible for deciding eligibility for charity tax conces-sions and other Commonwealth exemptions and benefits.

In future, the ACNC may register and regulate other not-for-profits

Working with the ACNC The new national body regulating charities will eventually lead to reduced red tape

ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe with assistant commissioners David Locke, left, and Murray

Baird, far right, and ACNC Advisory Board chair Robert Fitzgerald

17

Dates to watch2013From now to 2 June: Registering as a charity

If you were a charity registered with ATO before 3 December, you will automatically be regis-tered with the ACNC. But, you can opt out of this registration before 2 June 2013.

In February, you may have received a letter asking you to complete your details. This is vol-untary but, if you choose to do so, it is a quick route to flag if you have an accounting period other than 1 July to 30 June, and if you have Fringe Benefits Exemptions for religious groups.

If you were not registered with ATO as a charity before 3 December 2012 and would like to register now, you first need to register with the ACNC to receive charity tax concessions and other charity exemptions from the ATO.

Once registered, you will have ongoing obligations, including:

• Notifying ACNC of changes.

• Keeping certain records.

• Preparing and providing an annual information statement and financial statement if you are a medium-sized organisation or larger.

20-22 May: More Information Sessions

TasCOSS, ACNC, State Government statewide information sessions on ACNC obligations and how that maps onto state reporting requirements. Email admin@tascoss.org.au to register.

2 June: Registration Deadlines

Last day to opt out of charity registration if your charity received charity tax concessions from the ATO before 3 December

Last day to notify ACNC if you want to use an accounting period other than 1 July to 30 June.

1 July: Charity Obligations Begin

All registered charities must keep records from this date so they can prepare for their 2013-14 annual information sheet.

Medium and large charities must prepare an annual financial report.

All registered charities are expected to comply with governance standards.

A new statutory definition of charity is expected to apply from 1 July 2013.

2 December: Registration Deadlines

Last day for religious institutions to opt into registration with ACNC.

Last day for deductable gift recipients (DGRs) that were not endorsed as charities by the ATO before 3 December 2012 to register with ACNC.

31 December: Reporting Deadline

First annual information statements due for the reporting period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013.

201431 December: Reporting Deadline

Second annual information statements due for the reporting period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, along with any financial reports required for medium and large charities.

Lindsey Moffatt

Manager, TasCOSSSector Development Unit

• Considering the application of the Commonwealth statu-tory definition of charity (when introduced) for states and ter-ritories.

• Developing a nationally con-sistent approach to fundrais-ing regulation.

• Harmonising the definition of which activities conducted by charities will be considered ‘non-charitable’.

• Reviewing governance and reporting requirements for the not-for-profit sector.

Governance and financial reportingTreasury recently consulted on how registered charities are gov-erned, including the purposes and nature of charities, the ac-countability of members, compli-ance with Australian laws, respon-sible management of financial affairs and the suitability and du-ties of those managing charities.

The draft regulations are aimed at providing a minimum set of outcomes for governance, while retaining flexibility for organisa-tions in how they achieve these.

The draft financial reporting regu-lations have set out the content requirements for financial reports lodged with the ACNC and have proposed to expand the range of individuals able to conduct a re-view of medium-sized registered charities which will reduce on-going compliance costs.

Useful linksTasCOSS website: www.tascoss.org.au. Over coming months Tas-COSS will provide information on ACNC requirements and how they map onto the state land-scape.

ACNC website: www.acnc.gov.au. Subscribe to their newsfeed to receive information as it happens.

ACNC queries: advice@acnc.gov.au

Regulation of Tasmanian chari-ties: www.acnc.gov.au/ACNC/FTS/FS_TAS_Reg.aspxFor more information, contact Lindsey Moffatt (Lindsey@tascoss.org.au) or Dale Rahmanovic (dale@tascoss.org.au) on (03) 6231 0755.

18

Welcome to our new membersA supported housing organisation and the Hobart City Council have recently joined TasCOSS

TasCOSS recently welcomed two new organisational mem-bers, HOPES Inc and the Hobart City Council.

HOPES stands for Housing Op-tions Providing Extra Support, and HOPES’ mission is to support adults living with acquired and/or neu-rological disabilities “to achieve independence by living in a co-operative environment”.

Set up in 1997, HOPES manages the Laetare Court Cooperative Living Community in Moonah. Contact HOPES at hopesinc@ bigpond.com or phone 6274 1883.

Local government bodies are ac-tive in the provision of community services throughout Tasmania, as well as making decisions that hugely affect the communities they administer. TasCOSS is very happy, then, to welcome what we believe is our first organisation-al member from the local govern-ment sector.

The Hobart City Council’s com-munity programs activities include running Mathers House, formerly the 50 & Better Centre, and Cri-terion House in the Hobart CBD, which provide social, education-al, cultural and recreational ac-tivities for older people, low-cost meals and meeting rooms. The Council also provides the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre (Youth ARC).

In the bigger community picture, the HCC has a social inclusion pol-icy that pledges to ensure “that all Council practices, policies and procedures actively build social inclusion”.

These two new members typi-fy the diversity of the TasCOSS membership, which ranges from organisations with one paid staff member, through to100 per cent volunteer groups and major em-ployers in the sector.

Member organisations’ areas of focus cover everything from youth issues to health education, housing, GLBTI advocacy and re-lationships counselling.

TasCOSS has been an advocate for low-income and other disad-vantaged people and worked to strengthen the Tasmanian com-munity services sector since 1961.

Membership of TasCOSS starts from as little as $50 a year for or-ganisations (depending on op-erating income) and is $57 for waged individuals ($15 conces-sion or unwaged).

The benefits of being a member include concessions on attend-ing TasCOSS events and train-ing courses, a printed newsletter three times a year and valuable opportunities to network and pro-vide input on social policy and sector development issues.

Importantly, every new member assists TasCOSS in its role of advo-cating for low-income and other-wise disadvantaged Tasmanians and strengthening the sector that supports them.

Visit www.tascoss.org.au to find out more about TasCOSS membership or call 6231 0755 for a membership pack or to take out your annual membership.

TasCOSS has been a key advo-cate of the Sirolli enterprise fa-cilitation model being used in Tasmania. Since the State Gov-ernment’s decision to support three pilot projects, with funding of $1 million in last year’s State Budget, much has happened.

Sirolli Enterprise Facilitation projects have been set up in Circular Head/Wynyard, Scottsdale/George Town and the Huon Valley.

Each project has a full-time Enter-

prise Facilitator who is available to work with any individuals or organisations with ideas for devel-oping an enterprise, whether that is a for-profit business, a social en-terprise, or even a community or-ganisation wanting to strengthen its management. The contacts for the Enterprise Facilitators are:

Circular Head/Wynyard regionCape Innovations Inc Enterprise Facilitator: Lorise ClarkMob: 0488 018 931 Email: Capein-novationsinc@gmail.com

North East (Scottsdale/George Town region)Ripples North East TasmaniaEnterprise Facilitator: Victoria Pullen Mob: 0488 018 922 Email: Victoria.Ripplesnetas@gmail.comFacebook Page: www.facebook.com/RipplesNortheastTasmania

Huon Valley regionHuon Sirolli NetworkEnterprise Facilitator: Lesley Kirby Mob: 0438 503 528 Email: Lesley.Kirby@hotmail.com.au

A musical event at Hobart’s Youth ARC.

Photo: courtesy of Hobart City Council

Sirolli project facilitators appointed

19

The Tasmanian Council of Social Service, TasCOSS, was established in 1961. TasCOSS is the peak body

for the Tasmanian community services sector.

Our mission To advocate for the interests of low-income and

otherwise disadvantaged Tasmanians, and to serve as the peak council for the state’s community

services industry.

Our visionA fair, just and inclusive Tasmania.

Wynne Russell

Policy and Research Officer

Social Policy and Research Unit

Gabrielle Rish

Communications and Membership Officer

Jill Pope

Finance Officer

Tony Reidy

Chief Executive

Tim Tabart

Development Officer

Sector Development Unit

Klaus Baur

HACC Project Officer/Consumer Engagement

Sector Development Unit

Beng Poh

Executive Assistant

Dale Rahmanovic

Development Officer

Sector Development Unit

Kath McLean

Manager, Social Policy and Research Unit

TasCOSS is supported by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Sponsored by Hesta.

Printed by Monotone Art Printers. Design by Charlie Bravo Design.

Printed on 100% recycled paper.

Gus Risberg

Shared Services Project Manager

Sector Development Unit

Lindsey Moffatt

Manager, Sector Development Unit

Meg Webb

Policy and Research Officer

Social Policy and Research Unit

TasCOSS