I am pleased to present the annual report of the South Australian Department of Human Services (DHS) which provides an insight into the important work of DHS and our financial performance for the 2023–24 financial year, ending 30 June 2024.
At DHS we share in a genuine passion for making a positive difference every day, in the lives of South Australians.
Our work is purpose-driven, and across the many areas of DHS we work to respond to the needs of those we serve in a supportive and inclusive way, often at times of high complexity, vulnerability and challenge.
The DHS team is committed to doing all that we can to ensure people are able to live safe and well in their communities, achieve their goals and aspirations, and participate in an equal and accessible way in every aspect of our society.
I want to thank our incredible staff and volunteers for your hard work and dedication in all that you do and to acknowledge what a privilege it is to work alongside you all.
The 2023–24 financial year has been another big year for DHS and has seen a continued focus in the provision of both immediate and long-term assistance to South Australians impacted by cost-of-living pressures.
Commencing from 1 July 2023, the Statewide Financial Counselling, Emergency Financial Assistance, Low Income Support and Utilities Literacy programs were replaced by the new Financial Wellbeing Program to streamline access to services. The program offers a range of services including financial counselling, emergency assistance, prevention activities, and connection to other services.
We finalised an extensive review of the state’s concession system to ensure they are well-targeted and delivered efficiently to best support the community. We are grateful to the members of the sector reference group who provided their expertise and partnership as part of the review process. In response to the review findings, the Government announced funding in the 2024–25 State Budget for nine reforms including:
- increasing the Cost of Living Concession for tenants and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders by aligning concessions to those of homeowners
- extending public transport concessions to all Health Care Card holders
- improving access to concessions for tenants in share houses, including those in disability accommodation
- expanding access to glasses, emergency electricity payment and funeral concessions
- providing Companion Card holders with free access to dedicated Changing Places facilities for people with disability
- extending a range of household and other concessions to asylum seekers who are in financial disadvantage but ineligible for Commonwealth Centrelink support.
The budget also provided $51.5 million for additional 2023–24 Cost of Living Concession payments, delivered in June 2024.
During the past year, the department also delivered Energy Bill Relief Fund payments in partnership with the Commonwealth Government, providing up to $500 relief to eligible households and up to $650 relief to eligible small businesses in South Australia on 2023–24 electricity bills.
The South Australian Government, led by DHS and the Office for Women, continues our critical work towards ending violence against women and children through our ongoing commitment to the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, and to achieving the objectives of South Australia’s Women’s Equality Blueprint 2023–26.
The South Australian Government is engaging in significant legislative reform to better support victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence and increase the accountability of perpetrators. This includes working towards the criminalisation of coercive control. After a period of in-depth engagement with a range of community stakeholders the Criminal Law Consolidation (Coercive Control) Amendment Bill 2023 was drafted to criminalise coercive control. The Bill was released for public consultation along with a series of information sessions. Led by the Attorney-General’s Department and the Office for Women, the sessions provided participants with an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how the proposed laws would work in practice in South Australia.
In March 2023, Natasha Stott Despoja AO was appointed by the Governor to lead the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence. The Royal Commission commenced on 1 July 2024 and will provide a report to the Government by 1 July 2025. DHS is committed to proactively supporting the Royal Commissioner and her team in undertaking this important and timely inquiry.
On 1 October 2023, Disability Services completed its transition to operating as a full-NDIS service provider under South Australia’s Bilateral Agreement with the Commonwealth Government on the NDIS. All eligible clients have now transitioned to individualised plans with costs for services provided to clients now being claimed from their NDIS plans.
We have continued to lead the implementation of strategies of the Safety and Wellbeing Taskforce to support remote Aboriginal people in Adelaide and priority locations to be safe and well. In August 2023, the department established a Safer Place to Gather at Edwards Park in the Adelaide Park Lands, to provide vulnerable remote visitors a safer place to seek shelter and access support. This culturally inclusive space has some limited infrastructure for shelter and provides service providers with the opportunity to engage with remote visitors and provide support to access services to reduce high-risk behaviours and promote independence. Support is also provided for people to return to country, where desired.
The department continued to support the vital work of South Australia’s volunteer sector by funding the development of a State of Volunteering Report to explore the social, cultural and economic contribution of volunteers to our economy, and provide the Government and community with up-to-date data and evidence to inform decision-making. Officially released by the Minister for Human Services at the State Volunteering Conference in May 2024, the inaugural State of Volunteering South Australia 2023 report, prepared by Volunteering SA&NT, found that every dollar invested in volunteering returned $5.20 to the community.
Other highlights of the past 12 months include:
- The establishment of domestic violence prevention and recovery hubs in southern and northern Adelaide to support women experiencing, or at risk of, domestic, family and sexual violence.
- The launch of the state’s first Autism Strategy to build knowledge, understanding and belonging for South Australia’s Autistic and autism communities.
- The establishment of a new Safer Family Services inner north metropolitan region, which will deliver intensive family services to an additional 250 families per annum.
- Coordinating a cross-government response to provide welcome packs for families arriving in South Australia fleeing international conflict.
- Developing the initial response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability to ensure the voices of people with lived experience are considered in the South Australian Government response.
- Commencing the Screening Transformation Program to deliver generational transformation of screening services and improve the provision of screening checks for workers and volunteers across South Australia.
- Undertaking public consultation to inform the development of a new Youth Action Plan, with more than 880 people engaged from July to August 2023 through a YourSAy survey, workshops and written submissions.
- Introduction of a Student Volunteer Army pilot, which focuses on secondary school students using an app to track and celebrate voluntary service with badges and resume-ready summaries.
- Opening of a new Changing Places facility in the City of Burnside under Tranche One of the Commonwealth’s Changing Places initiative, with another due for completion in the Adelaide Hills by the end of 2024. DHS is also working with the Commonwealth Government, State Government departments and local councils to support the delivery of two new facilities under Tranche Two within the City of Marion and City of Mitcham.
On 1 July 2024, the Office for Ageing Well and responsibility for homelessness services were transferred to the department as a result of machinery of government changes. These changes aim to focus efforts on improving the lives of senior South Australians and enhance the Government’s ability to address the complex needs of people experiencing and at risk of homelessness.
I would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome all new staff to DHS and look forward to seeing the important work they do continue within the department.
Finally, at the beginning of the year we bid farewell to Lois Boswell who joined the department in August 2016 and was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer in September 2020. On behalf of all staff across the department, I would like to wish Lois all the very best for her future and thank her for the impact she has made throughout her longstanding public service career.
Sandy Pitcher
Chief Executive
Department of Human Services