ACT Council of Social Services director Susan Helyar said the key issues in the ACT were legal assistance cuts and the lack of access to services, both results of the 2014 budget.

"Particularly in the community and health services sectors we need government to invest in that infrastructure that underlines growth in economic participation," she said.

Ms Helyar said government support needed to be retargeted to those who were truly in need.

"That's about the age assets test being lowered, reducing access to the health insurance rebate, better targeting age subsidies and prioritising access to the substantial childcare subsidies to lower income households," she said.

"The other thing we're keen on is that there's some investment in preventing poverty. There's some really basic things that could be done to avoid poverty, such as increasing youth allowance and study allowance."

Ms Helyar said, with youth unemployment as high as 20 per cent in some parts of Australia, supporting young people was more important than ever.

"Don't make people live for months on an income where they can't afford the basics," she said.

St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra and Goulburn president Frank Brassil said the last budget had targeted the ACT's less well-off citizens.

"What we'd like to see is nothing in it that reduces the standard of living or the access to services for the most vulnerable in our community," he said.

"At the very least, nobody who is the most vulnerable are worse off."

Mr Brassil said he wanted improvements to public housing access, including an increase in the supply of public housing.

"We would like to see a much greater push towards equity in our community and if that means addressing issues such as access to pensions for people on high incomes or changes to superannuation rules... then so be it," he said.