Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development invites service providers, community organisations, local government representatives and social housing tenants to attend a free consultation of the Legislative Council Select Committee on Social, Public and Affordable Housing to assist in the drafting of our submission to the committee and/or to support your organisation or yourself to draft your own.

The consultation is to be held on Thursday February 13th 2014 at Redfern Town Hall, 73 Pitt St Redfern from 9.30am – 3pm (with lunch provided).

For more information or to RSVP contact Char Jones on 02 9698 7461 or email char.jones@innersydneyrcsd.org.au.

• Jane Randall, a clinical psychologist will present a two hour session to raise awareness and improve understanding about depression and suicide. Learn about depression: signs, symptoms and prevention, suicide myths and facts, risk factors and red flags and responding to someone at risk. Guest speakers will share their lived experience with mental illness.

The session will be held on Wednesday 19 February 7pm – 9pm at Margaret Martin Library, Level 1, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre Belmore Road, Randwick.

Places are limited and bookings are required. Please call 9399 0972 or email frida.kitas@randwick.nsw.gov.au.

LGBTIQ* Safe Relationships Awareness Training

* LGBTIQ refers to diverse sexualities, sex, and gender identities – lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer

The Safe Relationships Project of Inner City Legal Centre is presenting a training program in Sydney on Tuesday 25 February 2014.

This training is designed for workers or volunteers who have contact with people escaping or experiencing domestic or family violence or who have contact with the LGBTIQ community, including the NSW Police, court support workers and volunteers, DFV frontline workers and referral services, community legal centre workers, legal aid, health workers, counsellors and social workers, and the medical profession.

LGBTIQ people experience domestic violence at similar rates to people in heterosexual relationships, but have significantly lower reporting rates. As a result, the LGBTIQ Community is a vulnerable and at-risk group, experiencing social isolation and multiple legal issues.

This training will provide participants with:
• Improved knowledge, skills and abilities to work more inclusively with vulnerable LGBTIQ people;
• A sound understanding of the legal barriers and legal rights of LGBTIQ people experiencing or escaping domestic or family violence;
• Confidence to talk openly with LGBTIQ people to identify and discuss safe and unsafe relationships;
• The opportunity to establish local and referral networks.

When     9:00am to 12:30pm, Tuesday 25 February 2014

Where  Inner City Legal Centre, 50-52 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross

Shelter NSW ‘Housing economics for non-economists’ lecture series 2014

How do housing and economics intersect? What are the key economic issues shaping our housing? Shelter NSW’s popular series of lectures on housing economics for non-economists is returning. The lectures will be held on Mondays in March 2014, from 3.45 pm to 6.00 pm in Sydney, and will be presented by prominent academics.

About the lecturers
1. Professor Richard Krever on housing and the taxation system — March 3
Richard Krever is Professor of Taxation at Monash University and Director of the Monash University Taxation Law and Policy Research Institute. He has been closely involved in modern Australian tax reform initiatives, including roles as a member of the Commonwealth Government’s Taxation Law Improvement Project Consultative Committee and Review of Business Taxation (Ralph Review). He has been a professor-in-residence at both the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Treasury. He has provided assistance under the auspices of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank and other international organisations.

2. Professor Peter Phibbs on property economics and planning — March 10
Peter Phibbs is Chair of Urban and Regional Planning and the Director of the Henry Halloran Trust at the University of Sydney, and an urban planner with an international reputation in the area of housing studies. Formerly a Professor at the Urban Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, his research in recent years has been in two main areas: the non-shelter outcomes of housing and the broad area of affordable housing.

3. Honorary Associate Professor Judy Yates on housing affordability and supply — March 17
Judy Yates is Honorary Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Sydney, after a career in academia, interrupted by occasional secondment to the Commonwealth Government to work on its National Housing Strategy and to serve on an Inquiry into Local Government Finance. Her research interests are in the fields of housing economics, finance and policy. In the last few years she has focused on housing affordability, intergenerational sustainability of the housing system, and taxation. She has served on the boards of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the NSW Home Purchase Assistance Authority and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. She was appointed to the National Housing Supply Council in 2008.

4. Dr Ben Spies-Butcher on the political economy of housing — March 24
Ben Spies-Butcher is a lecturer in Economy and Society in the Department of Sociology at Macquarie University. Ben completed his PhD in Economics at the University of Sydney while working in the non-government sector on issues of human rights. His research focuses on the economics and politics of social and environmental policy, and political participation. He teaches courses on economic sociology and political sociology at undergraduate and post-graduate level. He is also a Fellow of the Centre for Policy Development and a member of the Centre for Research on Social Inclusion.

When     Mondays, 3, 10, 17 and 24 March 2014, from 3.45 pm to 6.00 pm. Each session will consist of a one-hour lecture, followed by questions and discussion.

Where    Training room 1, Ground floor, Labor Council of NSW, 377–383 Sussex St (near Goulburn St), Sydney.

Hyundai ‘Help for Kids’ Funding

The Australian arm of the Hyundai Motor Company plans to grant close to $1.5 million to Not for Profit organisations that support Australian youth in 2014. Hyundai Motor Company Australia has announced a joint initiative with Hyundai’s Australian Dealer Network with the establishment of the “Hyundai Help for Kids” program.

And Not for Profits will be able to apply for the special funding at a website to be launched in February.

“Hyundai Help for Kids” is part of Hyundai Motor Company’s global Corporate Social Responsibility movement, called “Moving the World Together”, which the car manufacturer says aims to contribute to the development and welfare of local communities around the world.

“Hyundai’s Australian enterprise will offer grants to a range of organisations focused on delivering support to children and the families who support them,” Charlie Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Motor Company Australia, said. “Through sport, culture, education, health, community engagement, and social welfare, ‘Hyundai Help for Kids’ will provide vital funding and vehicle assistance. “As a growing organisation which places customers at its heart, it’s time for Hyundai to step forward and give some support to the future of young Australians. “Our National Dealer Network is a key partner in everything we do, and they have joined us in designing a truly worthwhile programme for Hyundai in Australia. “Funding will be raised via 50:50 Hyundai and Hyundai Dealer contributions from every vehicle sold from 1st January, 2014.”

The first Not for Profit to benefit from “Hyundai Help for Kids” is the Kids’ Tennis Foundation, which will receive a donation of $40,000 this week via the Hyundai Hopman Cup Aces program, designed to give underprivileged kids a meaningful introduction to the game. Not for Profits will have to wait until February to apply for funding under the new program. The manufacturer says it is keen to make the program as practical as possible and to work at a grassroots level. “A ‘Hyundai Help for Kids’ website is being established as the ‘hub’ for communication and resources, and will offer eligible organisations the opportunity to apply for grants. The program and its website will be officially launched at Hyundai’s national dealer meeting in February,” Kim said. “Hyundai Motor Company Australia has already committed assistance to a number of welfare programs for young Australians. “Since 2007, the Hyundai Goals for Grassroots program has seen over 170 soccer clubs share close to half a million dollars, providing financial assistance to junior players around the country and helping to encourage children to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.”

See more information here.

MHCC Meet Your Neighbour – Marrickville

Meet Your Neighbour is The Mental Health Coordinating Council’s approach to encourage organisations to meet, learn more about each other and find ways to work better together.

• Meet other organisations and mental health service providers from your area to hear what they are doing and share what you are doing in relation to supporting people with mental health issues
• Find ways to work together
• Come along for a cuppa and a chat
• Bring along any material you want to share about your organisation.

Morning tea will be provided

Marrickville – 13 February
Mission Australia – Marrickville and MHCC would like to invite organisations and people with an interest in mental health issues in the Marrickville area to a Meet Your Neighbour networking event

When    Thursday 13th February 2014, 9.30am arrival for a 10:00 start – ends 12.30pm

Where   Mission Australia 176 Marrickville Road, Marrickville

NCOSS FAIRbruary
During FAIRbruary NCOSS are campaigning for a better health transport system in NSW. Too many people are missing out on vital health care simply due to a lack of transport.

Please join them in asking the NSW State Government to complete the health transport picture.

You can add your voice to the campaign by:

• Signing their online postcard petition [please sign here]

Hard copies of the postcard are also available from NCOSS if you would like to distribute these to your networks and clients. Please contact NCOSS reception for additional copies on 9211 2599 or email info@ncoss.org.au

• Supporting the NCOSS Health Transport Position Paper [download]

You can do this by:

• Endorsing the Position Paper.

Send your organisation’s name and logo to Wendy Hall, wendy@ncoss.org.au

• Visiting your Local MP. To help you in this task we have prepared:
  • A Background Paper [download]
  • Frequently Asked Questions [download]
  • Information about meeting with your local member [download]
  • Writing to or emailing the NSW Health Minister.

• Promoting the campaign. NCOSS have prepared articles for use in print and online newsletters, and suggested content for Facebook and Twitter posts [download kit]

Working together we can show the NSW Government how important this issue is for people experiencing disadvantage in NSW.

Health transport is one of three key issues NCOSS are campaigning on under the banner of FAIRbruary. For further information about NCOSS work on their other priority issues in the coming days visit: www.fairbruary.net, email: fairbruary@ncoss.org.au, or phone (02) 9211 2599 and ask for Rhiannon Cook or Solange Frost.

Quote of the Week

Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

eNews is the fortnightly bulletin distributed by Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development.

It informs local residents, community organisations and groups about upcoming events, conferences, training and submission deadlines, as well as any relevant news.