‘Our sector can’t afford to sit back and wait to be attended to. If the sector is to be valued and much-needed reforms are to be delivered, we all need to be more active and effective in our advocacy, not just for our causes and purpose, but for ourselves, the people we work with and work for. A pre-Budget submission is a low-cost way of at least putting our hands in the air, and that can only be a good thing,’ writes CCA CEO David Crosbie for the Community Advocate.

“When we allow our human services to be commodified, we invariably risk what is most important to our communities,” writes David Crosbie for the Community Advocate.

‘In our changing climate, strengthening community connectedness, awareness, preparedness, and capacity to respond to disasters is clearly one of the most critical, unrecognised and unfunded roles charities and not-for-profits now play in Australia,’ writes CCA CEO David Crosbie for the Community Advocate.

‘Policy work in charities is not always valued, but if we are to make sustainable changes in people’s lives, the economic, regulatory and political structures that drive both good and bad practice need to be addressed. When we think about charities and not-for-profits in Australia and the role they play, we should never underestimate the importance of the leaders in our sector who call out and stand up to inappropriate and exploitative practices. The buffer they bravely provide against much more powerful vested interests is a critical component in preserving our democracy and enabling us to achieve the kind of Australia we would like to live in,’ writes CCA CEO David Crosbie for the Community Advocate.