In FY 2025, NCQ made six submissions to government to influence policy, including the submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Volunteering in Queensland, the State Budget FY 2025-2026 submission, a contribution to the Office of Social Impact (OSI)’s Strengthening social impact in Queensland consultation, and a Place-Based Position Paper.
Neighbourhood Centres are core place-based, community-led infrastructure in Queensland but still lack significant recognition within government and other institutions. To centrally position Neighbourhood Centres in matters that affect them and their communities, social policy designed by overarching bodies needs to recognise the vital role they play across the state.
NCQ was actively involved in contributing to the design of social policy by writing six responses to submission processes, inquiries, and other platforms to shift systems towards Neighbourhood Centres. The submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Volunteering was informed by consultation with our regional networks and argued strongly for changes to enable more place-based approaches and coordination funding for volunteering in the sector. A State Budget submission argued for funding for unfunded centres, Community Connect workers and organisational infrastructure, while a Federal Funding submission targeted physical infrastructure, disaster resilience workers, and volunteering support. Additionally, a submission to the Office of Social Impact argued for the position of Neighbourhood Centres in forwarding social enterprise across the state.
As place-based initiatives are becoming more recognised in social policy, NCQ has recognised that definitions of what constitutes ‘place-based’ have become a necessary issue, both in Queensland and across Australia. A position paper, outlining a more localised community development approach, was written by NCQ to argue for the unique position of Neighbourhood Centres and the need for bespoke place-based funding and program approaches rather than ‘cookie cutter’ solutions.