As the peak national organisation of the community sector and advocate for low income and disadvantaged people, ACOSS has a long standing interest in minimum wages. We have regularly made submissions on minimum wage fixation to industrial tribunals since the mid 1990s. ACOSS is an interested party with expertise in poverty, employment policy and income...

Superannuation is vital to Australia's system of support for retirement. Compulsory super, along with voluntary contributions, enables people to have a much higher standard of living in retirement than possible on the Age Pension alone. Australian governments currently support retirees not only through the Age Pension but indirectly through tax breaks for superannuation. However, the...

As successive governments have committed to reducing the regulatory burden on business, so too they need to give equal priority to working with the community sector on reforms that will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the sector’s operating environment. The Productivity Commission clearly showed the most significant areas of ‘red tape’ in the community...

This initial ACOSS briefing on the 2011-12 Federal Budget outlines key measures announced in the Budget in areas of interest to ACOSS members, to assist members in their work. This briefing does not offer extensive comment on the merit or otherwise of these measures. This paper outlines the measures firstly by providing a general background...

This report argues that the key to progressive tax reform is to strengthen the personal income tax system and puts forward a set of benchmarks and options for reform. These will be used by ACOSS to evaluate the proposals of the Government’s Australia’s Future Tax System (AFTS) Review after its report is finalised later this...