10 THE ADVOCATE
COMMUNITY
25 million new reasons to inspire generosity dollar to, which charities do you already support, is it time to give a little more?” “Every coin that was passed on would relay a message to inspire generosity and raise vital cash for the nation’s charities large and small, and the 600,000 not-forprofits,” he said.
The Community Council for Australia
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he Community Council for Australia is calling on Australians to get behind an innovative new initiative launched in October by the Australian Mint that has the potential to deliver millions of dollars in additional funding to charities and community organisations each year. A new one dollar coin, called a Donation Dollar, has been minted and is entering circulation. The Donation Dollar is legal tender and the world’s first coin that features a call to action: a call for the holder to give. Over the coming years 25 million coins will be minted and circulated – one of for every Australian. The Donation Dollar is an initiative of Saatchi and Saatchi who have consulted with several charities in developing the concept, and
Please cut the tawny tape strangling our charities
the Australian Mint who have embraced the idea and made it their own. David Crosbie, CEO of CCA said: “If every Australian donated just one Donation Dollar a month, together the charities sector would receive an additional $300
COVID restrictions a positive for animals at The Lost Dogs’ Home The Lost Dogs’ Home
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ppointment-based adoptions are here to stay with The Lost Dogs’ Home permanently implementing appointments for all adoptions – whether for a specific animal, or to browse. The change in process which was implemented in March because of the state lock down regulations has been reviewed and deemed a better option for both animals and potential pet owners. The Lost Dogs’ Home’s spokesperson, Suzana Talevski, said the appointment system means that they can better inform potential dog and cat owners of the quirks and needs of the individual animals in our care. “It means that we further minimise impulse purchases, and that the animals are more likely to have successful outcomes. So that is better for animals and owners” she said. “This is an important step for large shelters like The Lost Dogs’ Home as we prepare for restrictions to further ease which means more people are going back to work and the potential for animals that have been adopted from us could rise.” Our May adoption total of 566 animals is the largest single-month adoption total since January 2018. The Home also said its appointment-based system makes better sense of time for staff and visitors to the shelter. ‘’We can get a lot of administration out of the way before a person gets here, so that means potential adopters get to spend more time with the animal in the meet and greet stage, and get a better indication of the animal’s personality. “From the shelter’s point of view, we are ready when someone gets here. Our adoption attendants have studied up and
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The Community Council for Australia
become acquainted with the animals deeply. The person you make the appointment with is the person who takes you through the meet and greet and does all your paperwork. It is a much more curated and efficient process than it ever was.” Ms Talevski said although the appointment based system can be frustrating for some who have been waiting a while to adopt. The Home’s priority will always be making sure the most stringent processes are place to make sure animals are matched with the most suitable owners.
SOCIETY
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EMMA LENNON OVID-19 has created new challenges for us all, however, for many young people the pandemic has compounded highly complex vulnerabilities, including experiences of family violence. The Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS) supports young people experiencing complex issues including alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use and is conducting an important new project that outlines the unique experience of family violence for young people, particularly during a global crisis such as COVID-19. YSAS understands the need for a public health response to COVID-19, and to support the experiences and needs of young people in accordance with directives and advice from public health authorities.
million in donations every single year. That’s an additional $300 million to support the most vulnerable people in society and to support the organisations that help our communities to flourish.” “Charities in Australia employ over 1.3 million people and contribute over 8% of GDP – when we support our charities we are strengthening our communities and our economy. The ongoing circulation of Donation Dollars will help to continuously remind people about the value and importance of the charities sector in Australia. It will remind us that a dollar spent by charities circulates within our economies, generating jobs and economic activity as well as positive community benefits. This is really a win-win for the community.” Australia is a generous country, and with millions of Donation Dollars soon to be in circulation there will be so many opportunities for Australians to think actively about the causes they care about and how they can contribute by donating, volunteering or supporting in other ways. Charities leader and CCA Chair Tim Costello said: “Every one of these coins is a chance to spark new conversations about generosity. It might be a small coin, but it will circulate as a constant reminder to give, and that can make a big difference. We are hoping people will ask questions like. who are you giving your donation
harities across Australia are frustrated with governments not acting to remove out of date regulations and duplication preventing registered charities being able to legitimately fundraise online. According to David Crosbie, CEO of the CCA: “Now more than ever, we need to enable charities to pivot to online fundraising, but multiple levels of government bureaucracy is strangling charities by making them satisfy seven different sets of regulations requiring at least six weeks of pointless compliance work. All registered Australian charities engaged in online fundraising are legally required to satisfy every government in Australia. “There is an easy fix if all governments agreed to work with the information already collected by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission rather than duplicating and collecting their own. “It’s important to note that all registered charities in Australia are overseen by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) who have significant powers to investigate any complaint by anyone against any registered charity. The consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, also has the power to investigate and act against any charity engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct,” Mr Crosbie said. “At this rate we will have humans on Mars before fundraising regulations are streamlined,” Mr Crosbie added.
Young People’s Experiences of F Last year, YSAS was engaged by Family Safety Victoria (FSV), in a project to align existing youth AOD support sector practices with the Family Violence Capability Framework that emerged from the 2015 Royal Commission into Family Violence. Findings in the early stages of this project shed light onto the intersections between AOD use and family violence for young people and showed opportunities for professionals in the youth AOD sector to better support young people experiencing family violence. The findings quickly demonstrated how complex these intersections were, and how important it was to create service provision models that adequately supported young victim-survivors of family violence. Particularly for Intimate Partner Vio-
lence (IPV), research and public discourse is often centred on adults, despite concepts like gender inequality, power and control being unique for young people, many of whom are entering their first romantic relationships and developing their understanding of what is ‘normal’ during this developmental period. A lack of specialised understanding of how these factors compound trauma and complexity may create barriers to support-seeking for young people and limit the sector’s ability to respond adequately. For example, young people may use substances themselves as a way of coping with trauma caused by family violence. Perpetrators may also weaponise substances as a form of power, manipulation and coercion by withholding substances that a
