Sector Sustainability

The Challenge

Frontline community services are not adequately funded or resourced to meet community need that is increasingly complex and widespread.
Long-standing issues stemming from inadequate funding growth, over-reliance on short-term contracts, and uncertain and inconsistent approaches to indexation, are becoming more acute.
The sector workforce has long experienced poor pay and conditions, which has contributed to workforce shortages, health and safety issues, and service viability concerns.

$126.6M for a boost to Legal Aid and one year funding for the Walama List.
$806.5M to establish a portable long service leave scheme for the community services sector (fully offset by revenue).
Over $200M to enhance digital connectivity for rural, regional and remote communities.
$48.1M to expand specialist workers who support children and young people accompanying their mothers to refuges.
$29.6M for the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service.
$3.6M for Domestic Violence NSW.

NCOSS celebrates the establishment of the community service Portable Long Service Leave scheme and calls on the NSW Government to cover the additional cost of the Levy.
NCOSS welcomes the small, targeted investments in Legal Aid and the expansion of the specialist workforce who support children and young people in refuges.
NCOSS calls on the NSW Government to address the significant unmet needs of the people of NSW. This includes increased investment in domestic and family violence services; tenancy advice services; homelessness supports; financial counselling; mental health services; community legal services; and neighbourhood centres and other similar place-based services
NCOSS awaits formal confirmation of the Government’s approach to indexation for FY25.