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Policy advocacy highlights Campaigning for a fairer Queensland There are signs that our campaign for a Fair Queensland Plan is gaining traction and the government is listening to our messages and plans to take action. Several high level meetings were held with the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Premier was presented with the concept and an ‘example’ plan during a visit to the QCOSS office in August 2010. We also presented the department with examples of practice excellence and advocated at a high level to a range of other departments on the benefits of a Fair Queensland Plan. After discussing a Fair Queensland Plan with QCOSS management and Board, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh with QCOSS staff, from left: Lyndall Hulme, Jody Tunnicliffe, Sarah Coles, Robyn Spelman, Jill Lang, Garth Morgan (Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Services Coalition) and Linda Parmenter. We held a virtual launch of our call for a Fair Qld during Anti-Poverty Week, ahead of the launch of our submission to the Queensland state budget in November 2010. Our submission to the 2011-12 State Government budget process focused on key priority areas for funding a Fair Queensland. We brought Christine Davies, UK authority on early intervention, to Queensland for the budget submission launch where 70 people heard about her organisation’s work as an example of what might work well in Queensland (see also page 17). We delivered our annual budget breakfast to more than 200 people in June, hearing from the Treasurer and a number of key ministers. We distributed our budget analysis to all members. Following the floods and cyclones a supplementary budget submission was compiled to take into account the significantly altered financial position of the state and the urgent need to fund additional support services such as early intervention workers, community development workers and financial counsellors (see also page 6). A number of our policy papers were updated this year as we moved towards more targeted updating and release of this material in conjunction with related events and opportunities. Health reform’s big year Our health policy work this year has focused on identifing opportunities provided by national health reform to improve links between the health and community services sectors. To do this we: Lisa Toh from QCOSS addresses the Queensland Accessing Interpreters Working Group forum in Nambour as part of a strategy to involve community services and language service providers in addressing barriers to accessing interpreters. Photo courtesy Ethnic Community Council of Queensland. • Developed a communications strategy about health reform and opportunities to link with Medicare Locals and Local Health and Hospital Networks. • Held a forum to build relationships. • Made submissions to Queensland Health and the Federal Department of Health and Ageing in response to various health reform discussion papers. • Established and chaired the Community Health Services Network. • Strengthened our relationships with key partners and developed new relationships with emerging partners as part of the national reforms. • We expanded our health focus to include oral health and developed an oral health policy to focus on addressing the poor state of oral health in Queensland. 8 Annual Report 2010-11
QCOSS effectiveness 2010-11 Developing well-articulated policy positions Coordinated action for a multicultural society We included regular information on improving access for migrants and refugees to services in various QCOSS newsletters and email updates and continued to chair the Queensland Accessing Interpreters Working Group, with a renewed membership and advocacy focus. The group held advocacy forums in Nambour and Brisbane and collected more than 40 case studies on experiences in accessing interpreters. We also made a strong contribution to the development of the Queensland Multicultural Policy as a member of the review working group. We supported the Community Action for a Multicultural Society network by coordinating its submission to the Floods Inquiry. Community indicators and resilience Community Indicators Queensland is an exciting partnership project between QCOSS, Griffith University and all levels of government that seeks to shift our measures of progress from economic to a more dynamic, community-based set of wellbeing indicators. During the year we continued to advocate for ongoing funding and a permanent home for the project. QCOSS Member and Stakeholder Survey 2011 We secured new funding through the 2010 Natural Disaster Resilience Program for a project to develop ‘resilience profiles’ based on community indicators for three diverse communities – the Atherton Tablelands, Rockhampton and the Western Downs (with a focus on Chinchilla) – in the context of disaster recovery. Future outlook Representing disadvantage issues to government State-wide forums will be held from July to November 2011 to get member input for our policy work. We will develop an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Strategy in line with our Reconciliation Action Plan (see page 19). We will lead the development of strategies to improve connections between the health and community services sectors at all levels and advocate for health equity and access. We will work with the government and sector on implementing the government’s new multicultural and language services policies and continue to connect service organisations with resources to improve migrant and refugee access to services. We will finalise the Natural Disaster Resilience project including conducting focus groups at each pilot site, undertaking a community survey to gather data on the human and social elements of resilience, developing a website to make data available, revisiting pilot communities and producing a final report. QCOSS Member and Stakeholder Survey 2011 9
Page 1: ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Page 4 and 5: QCOSS would like to thank its Board
Page 6 and 7: Vision, purpose & values Our vision
Page 8 and 9: Key outcomes During 2010-11, QCOSS
Page 10 and 11: Responding to a summer of disasters
Page 14 and 15: Low income consumer advocacy Ensuri
Page 16 and 17: Sector development Leading and advo
Page 18 and 19: Communications and member engagemen
Page 20 and 21: Growing stronger children’s servi
Page 22 and 23: Coalition ensuring Indigenous acces
Page 24 and 25: Leadership, governance and manageme
Page 26 and 27: Governance committee report This ha
Page 28: Financial Reports 24 Annual Report
Page 32: 28 Annual Report 2010-11
Page 51 and 52: Bowen Neighbourhood Centre Boystown
Page 53 and 54: Murrie Watch A.T.S.I Corp Nambour C
Page 55 and 56: Helen Delaney Helen Twohill Helen W

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