Governments should begin harnessing the power of community organisations in disaster planning, according to this new report.

A common theme of Victoria’s Draft 30-year Infrastructure Strategy is getting more use from infrastructure by creating multipurpose, integrated and well-managed facilities. We agree, but emphasise this requires a different culture and approach by infrastructure owners to understand, collaborate and value infrastructure use for broader purposes. VCOSS draws attention to the socio-economic consequences of infrastructure...

VCOSS welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Victorian Government’s Access to Justice Review. Access to justice is fundamental to a fair and inclusive society. Inadequate human rights protection, poor legal services access and inequality before the law can have significant and farreaching impacts for vulnerable Victorians. Access to justice, including a fair hearing...

Chronic disease causes nine out of ten Australian deaths, according to this report. Chronic disease in Australia Chronic diseases in Australia are significant contributors to illness, disability and premature death. Chronic disease causes nine out of ten Australian deaths. Heart disease, cancer, lung disease and diabetes account for three quarters of all of these deaths...

The new VCOSS report, Walk alongside: Co-designing social initiatives with people experiencing vulnerabilities, invites people to challenge their thinking about social problems and the people affected by them, as well as the way government and the community sector works with them. It encourages us to genuinely connect with people experiencing vulnerabilities so as to understand...