Page 1660 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 18 May 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
In the past, the Belconnen Community Company has been funded by the ACT Government to provide Jobskills places. They were funded to provide some 70 places, a target they were not able to fulfil at that time. Since then, they have been funded under the employment and training grants program to operate the Canberra Vocational Training Centre. That is what the $60,000 I mentioned goes towards. The Canberra Vocational Training Centre operates as a drop-in centre and open access centre for unemployed people in the Belconnen area. The services that are provided from there include very short courses - half-day, one-day or two-day courses - mostly in the fields of self-esteem, assertiveness, some keyboard training and so on. Because it is an open access centre, it also allows unemployed people to go in there and prepare a resume and so on, which would assist them to get a job. This is a needed and important service to the unemployed people in the Belconnen area, and that is why the Government has funded it.
It became apparent earlier this year that the company was experiencing financial difficulty. In order to assist them to work their way through the financial difficulties, discussions were held with my department, with the business adviser at the Business Services Centre, and also with Mr Riddell from the Canberra Business Centre. So they have had whatever advice and assistance can be provided. However, some time ago my department did make an inquiry of the company as to whether they could satisfy the terms of their grant funding, and the answer was in the negative. For that reason, my department withheld the current quarter's funding for the company, that is, $15,000. I should say that the Commonwealth has also withheld funding from this company. I regard that as a matter for some regret.
I want to make it clear to members that there are some important considerations here. The first is that the services the unemployed people in Belconnen obviously need and for which this company has been funded ought to be continued. Both the Commonwealth department and my department are working very hard and with some urgency to see that those clients are placed in alternative courses, so that their assistance is not jeopardised. Both my own Government and the Commonwealth Government have a responsibility for public funds. In other words, we have to be sure that when we hand over grant money the purposes for which that money is being handed over will be met. When we cannot be sure of that, then I believe that it would be irresponsible to continue funding.
I very much regret that the Belconnen Community Company has run into difficulty. I do not consider that the withholding of $15,000 by my department brought about their difficulties. It would not have made them any easier, but it certainly would not have been the sole cause of their financial difficulties. As I have said, those difficulties have been known about for some time, and it was the management committee who took the final decision to call in the provisional liquidator. My priority at the moment is to make sure that those unemployed people are not disadvantaged by this sad turn of events and continue to receive the assistance they need.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .