A COMMUNITY SECTOR VIEW

1
A COMMUNITY SECTOR VIEW

• Presentation to the
• 2005 National Consumer Congress
• Gary Moore
• Director, Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS)

2
Disadvantaged consumers

• 2.4 million Australians (nearly 1 million in NSW)
  who live under, around or not far above poverty
  lines.
• Location and population group concentrations.
• Disadvantage equates with lower incomes, insecure
  housing, poor access to services, significant
  levels of health issues and family dysfunction,
  social isolation etc.
• Limited purchasing power, limited information,
  limited capacity to be the informed consumer.
• 50 of households now have two or less members.
• 25 of population will be aged over 65 in 2040.
• Indigenous and CALD people continue to face
  significant barriers.
• Large debt exposure of working poor households in
  current economic cycle.

3
Market reform areas with specific risks for
disadvantaged people

• Energy, water and transport
• affordability
• demand management
• adequacy of service
• Personal loans
• unrealistic interest rates
• hard sell, complexity and robust debt collection
• Childrens services
• affordability
• adequacy of service
• employment barriers
• concentration of ownership

4
Market reform areas with specific risks for
disadvantaged people (cont)

• Funeral industry
• affordability
• complexity
• concentration of ownership
• Residential aged care
• affordability
• complexity
• adequacy of service
• Gambling services
• fiscal vulnerability
• health and related impacts

5
Addressing the risks

• Effective regulatory regimes.
• Robust community service obligations provisions.
• More targeted consumer education.
• Better links between regulators, industry
  associations, consumer groups and community
  services organisations.