acoss.org.au

# ACOSS: Australian Council of Social Service

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## Pages
- [Latest news](https://www.acoss.org.au/)
- [Our Members](https://www.acoss.org.au/our-members/)
- [ACOSS Governance Documents](https://www.acoss.org.au/acoss-governance/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.acoss.org.au/privacy-policy/)
- [Factsheets \& Briefing Notes](https://www.acoss.org.au/briefings/)

## Posts
- [Heat In Homes Survey Report 2026](https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Heat-in-Homes-Digital-1.0.pdf)
- [Fair, Fast Inclusive Climate Action Heat In Homes Survey 2025](https://efcee0ql45h.typeform.com/to/BUIdKcSC/)

## Papers
- [Analysis of the impact of raising benefit rates](https://staging.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/DAE-Analysis-of-the-impact-of-raising-benefit-rates-FINAL-4-September-...-1.pdf)
- [Submission to Social Services Legislation Amendment \(Affordable Housing\) Bill 2017](https://www.acoss.org.au/paper/submission-to-social-services-legislation-amendment-affordable-housing-bill-2017/)

## Events
- [Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality in Australia: latest research findings and how to talk about them](https://www.acoss.org.au/event/community-attitudes-towards-poverty-and-inequality-in-australia-latest-research-findings-and-how-to-talk-about-them/)

## Media Releases
- [ACOSS calls for measures to help people most at risk, and to support critical community services](https://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/acoss-calls-for-measures-to-help-people-most-at-risk-and-to-support-critical-community-services/)
- [Australia’s response requires targeted relief to people doing it the toughest](https://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/australias-response-requires-targeted-relief-to-people-doing-it-the-toughest/)
- [ACOSS calls on parliamentarians to work together to deliver a gas export levy](https://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/acoss-calls-on-parliamentarians-to-work-together-to-deliver-a-gas-export-levy/)
- [Three in four people struggle to cool their homes as heat crisis worsens](https://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/three-in-four-people-struggle-to-cool-their-homes-as-heat-crisis-worsens/)
- [Australia must strengthen its safety net as unemployment and prices rise](https://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/australia-must-strengthen-its-safety-net-as-unemployment-and-prices-rise/)

## Training
- [ACOSS Webinar Training](https://www.acoss.org.au/training/danis-webinar/)
- [Keeping Kids Central training](https://www.acoss.org.au/training/institute-of-child-protection-studies-content-to-promote-keeping-kids-central-online-learning-campaign/)

## Reports
- [Submission to the Retirement Income Review](https://staging.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/200202-Retirement-Incomes-Review-ACOSS-submission.pdf): Key Recommendations  1\. Adequate social security payments to prevent poverty The $32pw increase in single pension rates in 2009 substantially reduced poverty among older people, but 55% of people relying on Newstart Allowance – including the 25% of recipients \(184,000 people\) who are 55 years or older \- live in poverty\.  Among people aged 65 years and over, there is a stark difference in average living standards between those who own their home and those who rent\. While the poverty rate among older home owners \(12%\) is slightly below the overall poverty rate \(13%\), the risk of poverty is three times higher \(43%\) for older tenants\.  All of the evidence points to these two groups of older people – those on Newstart and those pensioners who rent – facing the greatest risk of poverty and deprivation\. We propose a $95pw increase in single rates of Newstart Allowance, and an immediate 30% increase in maximum rates of Rent Assistance to ease the most severe poverty, with a broader review to determine appropriate payment benchmarks and indexation arrangements, noting that others including COTA Australia and the Grattan Institute are calling for a higher increase in Rent Assistance and that the payment takes no account of large regional differences in rents\. 2\. Compulsory superannuation that is sufficient, but not too much, to maintain living standards after retirement When the superannuation system matures, universal compulsory superannuation at its present \(9\.5%\) contribution level will enable the majority of workers to reach a living standard in retirement close to that which they had during working life\. Grattan Institute research indicates that across all income levels, older people typically receive at least 70% of their previous disposable income after retirement, without taking account of the lower housing and child related costs faced by people 

 
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after they retire, or the higher replacement rates that will apply once the Superannuation Guarantee fully matures\.2 This is a major achievement\. For people with low and modest incomes, the cost of increasing the super guarantee \(i\.e\. reduced take home pay\) during their working lives may likely exceed any benefit derived in retirement, noting that the Age Pension will continue to be the primary source of income for many of these households\. Most people with low pay and broken employment histories are women\. While more compulsory super may lift their incomes after retirement, their greater financial vulnerability during working life must also be considered\. 
 
Any increase in compulsory retirement saving above 10% of wages should be based on a careful assessment of the needs of low and middle\-income workers before and after retirement, which we hope the Review will undertake\.  Further, the Superannuation Guarantee should not rise above this level until tax breaks for super contributions are reformed to make them fair for people with low and modest incomes\. 3\. Reform of inequitable and costly tax concessions  The flat 15% tax on employer superannuation contributions means that a cleaner earning $20,000 \(who normally does not pay tax on her earnings\) receives no taxation support for compulsory employer contributions, yet a fund manager on $200,000 receives a tax break of 32 cents per dollar contributed\. Thirty years after the super guarantee was introduced, these inequities should finally be removed, before compulsory contributions are increased further\.  We propose a revenue\-neutral reform of tax concessions that would equalise tax breaks for every dollar contributed on behalf of people at different income levels:  All super contributions \(regardless of source\) should attract a uniform 20% refundable tax credit up to a modest annual cap of around $15,000 in contributions\. Other tax concessions for contributions should be removed\.  In addition, the first $500 of contributions should attract a dollar for dollar tax credit to boost the retirement savings of people with very low earnings, most of whom are women\. 4\. Guarantee quality, universal aged care and health services The Aged Care Royal Commission has exposed serious flaws in the system, especially in residential care\. In addition to the poor quality of services \(due in large part to insufficient skilled staff and high turnover\), and long queues for at
                                       2 Daley, J and Coates, B \(2018\): Money in retirement: More than enough, Grattan Institute, Melbourne\. Available: https://grattan\.edu\.au/report/money\-in\-retirement/\. While most partnered women with children are predominantly employed part\-time, they are also likely to be partnered on retirement\. Those people at greatest risk of poverty in retirement \(including many single women\) are less likely to be able to forego more of their wages for superannuation during working life\. 

 
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home care, older people worry whether they can afford increasing out\-of\-pocket costs of residential care including large lump\-sum deposits\. Older people already pay almost 30% of the cost of residential care\.3  This is undermining the purpose of superannuation, as people’s anxiety about future out\-of\-pocket health and aged care costs mean they are reluctant to draw down on their savings to fund a decent retirement\. One outcome is that retirement savings are not used for their intended purpose, and instead pass to the next generation\. A stronger universal health and aged care system would ease this anxiety and keep superannuation focused on its main purpose: ensuring an adequate living standard in retirement\.  Preventive health care, dental care, and support for people with chronic illness are also under\-resourced\. The government will not be able to ‘guarantee’ quality health care for all as long as growth in Commonwealth health expenditure is held at 0\.7% per year over the next four years, as the Budget projects\.4  Given that population ageing is expected to increase the cost of health and aged care by approximately $8 billion a year in a decade’s time \(along with $8 billion more for pensions\), future governments will need a more robust public revenue base\.5 People of all ages should contribute to these costs according to their capacity to pay, yet only 16% of people over 64 years pays income tax even though many can afford to do so\.6  We propose that approximately $5 billion a year in additional public revenue should be raised from 2021\-22 \(much more in later years\) to guarantee quality, affordable aged care and help close the gaps we have identified in health care by:  Extending the standard 15% tax rate for the investment income of superannuation funds to funds paying a pension, whose investment income is presently untaxed\. \(superannuation benefits would remain tax free\);  Reducing age\-based tax breaks such as the Senior Australians and Pensioners Tax Offset \(SAPTO\); 
                                       3 Aged Care Financing Authority \(2019\): Seventh report on the funding and financing of the aged care industry, ACFA, Canberra\. Available: https://www\.health\.gov\.au/resources/publications/seventhreport\-on\-the\-funding\-and\-financing\-of\-the\-aged\-care\-industry\-july\-2019 4 ACOSS \(2019a\): The uncertain future of essential services: Briefing note on trends in Commonwealth spending, ACOSS, Sydney\. Available: https://www\.acoss\.org\.au/wpcontent/uploads/2019/06/ACOSS\_future\-of\-services\_briefing\-note\_updated\.pdf 5 Parliamentary Budget Office \(2019\): Australia’s ageing population \- Understanding the fiscal impacts over the next decade, PBO, Canberra\. Available: https://www\.aph\.gov\.au/About\_Parliament/Parliamentary\_Departments/Parliamentary\_Budget\_Office /Publications/Research\_reports/Australias\_ageing\_population\_\_Understanding\_the\_fiscal\_impacts\_over\_the\_next\_decade 6 Daley, J, Coates, B and Young, W \(2016\): Entitlement of age: Age\-based tax breaks, Grattan Institute, Melbourne\. Available: https://grattan\.edu\.au/report/age\-of\-entitlement/ 

 
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 Strengthening the Medicare Levy by including income from negativelygeared investments, private trusts and fringe benefits in the definition of income used\.7 5\. Housing security for older people who rent Experts estimate there is a shortage of 400,000 affordable dwellings for people who are homeless or on very low incomes\.8 Older people are not immune from this problem\. In 2016, 11% of people aged 65 and over were renting\. This is likely to increase in future years, since the share of people aged 50\-54 years who own or are purchasing their home declined from 85% in 1996 to 80% in 2014\.9 Almost 20,000 people over 55 years were homeless in 2016, a more than 25% increase since 2012\.10  To close the housing affordability gap, governments will need to support the construction of affordable homes through improved urban planning, incentives for investment in housing rented at below\-market rates, and above all to stem the decline in social housing, which has fallen from 5\.1% of all homes in 2001 to 4\.2% in 2016\.11  Due to its security of tenure and the capping of rents by income, social housing offers the best protection against homelessness for financially or otherwise vulnerable people\.  As a first step to improve security and affordability of housing for people at risk of homelessness, we propose a social housing investment package to build 20,000 homes over the next three years\.12 
                                       7 ACOSS \(2019b\): Budget priorities statement: Federal Budget 2020\-21, ACOSS, Sydney\. Available: https://www\.acoss\.org\.au/wp\-content/uploads/2020/01/FINAL\-ACOSS\-Budget\-Priority\-Statement2020\-2021\.pdf 8 Lawson, J et al\. \(2018\): Social housing as infrastructure: An investment pathway, Final Report 306, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Melbourne\. Available: https://www\.ahuri\.edu\.au/\_\_data/assets/pdf\_file/0025/29059/AHURI\-Final\-Report\-306\-Socialhousing\-as\-infrastructure\-an\-investment\-pathway\.pdf 9 Australian Bureau of Statistics \(2016\): Census of population and housing: Reflecting Australia – stories from the Census, 2016, ABS, Canberra\. Available: https://www\.abs\.gov\.au/ausstats/abs@\.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071\.0~2016~Main%20Features ~Ageing%20Population~14; Yates, J, Ong, R and Bradbury, B \(2016\): Housing as the fourth pillar of Australia’s retirement income system, discussion paper for Committee for Sustainable Retirement Incomes policy roundtable, 6\-7 April 2016\. Available: https://cfsri\.files\.wordpress\.com/2015/09/yates\-ong\-bradbury\-csri\-work\-stream\-1\-discussion\-paper5\-aug\.pdf 10 Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute \(2019\): Supporting older Australians experiencing homelessness, AHURI policy evidence summary, Melbourne\. Available: https://www\.ahuri\.edu\.au/\_\_data/assets/pdf\_file/0023/52916/PES\-322\-Supporting\-older\-Australiansexperiencing\-homelessness\.pdf 11 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare \(2019\): Housing assistance in Australia 2019, AIHW, Canberra\. Available: https://www\.aihw\.gov\.au/reports/housing\-assistance/housing\-assistance\-inaustralia\-2019/contents/summary 12 ACOSS \(2019c\): How to reduce homelessness and boost incomes and jobs: Social housing as infrastructure, ACOSS, Sydney\. Available: https://www\.acoss\.org\.au/wp

 
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This package would complement the increase in Rent Assistance and broader review of rates and indexation arrangements outlined above\.  Data required to properly evaluate the retirement income system The attachment to this submission lists data which we suggest the Review release publicly to inform policy discussion of the effectiveness of the retirement incomes system\.  Given the very tight timeframe for this Review, and the imminent release of the next Intergenerational Report in April 2020, a month’s extension of time for the Panel to report may be needed\. 
- [Australia's Community Sector \& Covid\-19: Impact of increased income support on community services](https://www.acoss.org.au/report/australias-community-sector-covid-19-impact-of-increased-income-support-on-community-services/)
- [ACOSS Response to Questions on Notice from Senator Siewert](https://www.acoss.org.au/report/acoss-response-to-questions-on-notice-from-senator-siewert/)
- [ACOSS submission to Technology Investment Roadmap](https://www.acoss.org.au/report/acoss-submission-to-technology-investment-roadmap/)
- [ACOSS submission to Senate Inquiry: lessons learned in relation to the Australian bushfire season 2019\-2020](https://www.acoss.org.au/report/acoss-submission-to-senate-inquiry-lessons-learned-in-relation-to-the-australian-bushfire-season-2019-2020/)

## Jobs
- [Senior Advisor \- ACOSS](https://www.acoss.org.au/job/senior-advisor-acoss/)

## Events
- [National Family Violence Election Forum: Hear Commitments Firsthand](https://www.acoss.org.au/event/national-family-violence-election-forum-hear-commitments-firsthand/)
- [The First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence \(FNAAFV\) National Community of Practice](https://www.acoss.org.au/event/the-first-nations-advocates-against-family-violence-fnaafv-national-community-of-practice/)
- [Course: Understanding Poverty, Inequality and Social Disadvantage in Australia](https://www.acoss.org.au/event/course-understanding-poverty-inequality-and-social-disadvantage-in-australia/)
- [ACOSS Post Budget Event 2024](https://www.acoss.org.au/event/acoss-post-budget-event-2024/)
- [ACOSS Policy Webinar \- Personal agency and employment services: learning from international practice](https://www.acoss.org.au/event/acoss-policy-webinar-personal-agency-and-employment-services-learning-from-international-practice/)

## Categories
- [Employment \& Income Support](https://www.acoss.org.au/jobs/employment-income-support/)
- [Energy](https://www.acoss.org.au/jobs/energy/)
- [Social Security](https://www.acoss.org.au/jobs/social-security/)
- [Poverty \& Social Inclusion](https://www.acoss.org.au/jobs/poverty-social-inclusion/)
- [ACOSS NEWS](https://www.acoss.org.au/jobs/acoss-news/)

## Event Categories
- [Policy Network Meetings](https://www.acoss.org.au/calendar/category/policy-network-meetings/)
- [ACOSS Webinar Series](https://www.acoss.org.au/calendar/category/acoss-webinar-series/)
- [ACOSS Events](https://www.acoss.org.au/calendar/category/acoss-events/)
- [Poverty and Inequality Partnership Events](https://www.acoss.org.au/calendar/category/poverty-and-inequality-partnership-events/)

## Optional
- [Sitemap index](https://www.acoss.org.au/sitemap_index.xml)