Freight subsidies, social housing, and Stolen Generations reparations have been put on the table by the state’s peak social services body for the 2025-26 state budget.
Freight subsidies, mass social housing development, and Stolen Generations reparations have been put on the table by the state’s peak social services body for the first post-2025 state election budget.
The WA Council of Social Services 2025-26 state budget submission released on Friday pressed the case for an overhaul of housing and youth justice policy, and funding of the sector.
The submission echoed elements of the organisation’s state election wish list such as fixing the funding model for social services, beefing up renter protections and expanding the remit and funding of myriad health and education programs.
It also repeated the call to make WA a “fair state”, not just a great state and warned social and health services had nowhere to safely transition people other than “into homelessness”.
Among a suite of measures to WACOSS canvassed to tackle housing affordability was development of a new mechanism to build rentals at scale and increasing social housing stock to 10 per cent.
Other submissions included introducing a freight subsidy for remote areas to drive down the cost of goods, trialling of a program to visit people in person at risk of having power disconnected, and subsidising internet for social housing tenants.
WACOSS chief executive Louise Giolitto said insufficient funding had scuppered regional outreach services, hurt job security, and impacted waitlists.
“Community services across our state report growing demand from clients facing complex challenges,” she said.
“Too many of the people who dedicate their working lives to helping others now feel stretched and burnt out.
“The decisions we make now are critical for the resilience of our economy and the wellbeing of our community for years to come.
“This is why our political priorities now need to focus on restoring our social safety net, investing in social infrastructure, building human capital, and diversifying our economy to be inclusive, adaptive and future-focused. It is time to build community.”
WACOSS’ submission is based around a belief things have become hard “in a way that feels unfair and unequal” and calls on the state government to “restore the balance” in the community and economy.
The organisation pointed to a booming population, growing housing costs, and a lag between social investment and community needs as key to the erosion of wellbeing and safety nets.
Reparations for Stolen Generations survivors and a redress scheme for past forced adoption practices were also on WACOSS’ list.
WA is the only state or territory in Australia which is not – or has no public plan to – compensate survivors of the Stolen Generations or their families.
WACOSS also wants to see more basic facilities such as public showers and lockers built for rough sleepers, a ban on unhealthy product advertising on state-owned assets, and a ban on gas connections for new homes.