• Graham Currie
• Australian Council of Social Service

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06 June 2008Community services have experienced a sharp increase in demand, according to this report, which provides information on service use, income, expenditure and workforce issues for the community services and welfare sector. The survey of non-government agencies found a 6.3 per cent increase in the number of people assisted by community service agencies between 2005-06 and 2006-07, accompanied by a 24 per cent increase in the number of eligible people who were turned away from the services they needed. Over 80 per cent of agencies reported that the cost of delivering services was not matched by funding levels and more than 60 per cent of agencies reported difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified staff.