Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 13 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3835 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

Most of us aim for an inclusive and humanist society, where everybody has the right or capacity to participate in our world-and we agree that, together, we have a responsibility to support that participation. However, there is clearly no longer a social or religious framework which offers us one coherent path to follow-ours is a plural society in a fairly constant state of change. Changing work patterns have fractured the traditional social structure that filled in the geography where we lived a generation ago.

For most of us, the world of work is increasingly demanding. Fewer people stay at home now unless they are ill, frail, unemployed or have a disability. We are more closely connected with people of our own age and interests than we are to others in our neighbourhood. Families, on average, are smaller than ever before. There is a kind of isolation and alienation impinging on all of us, and especially on those who suffer concrete disadvantage. Social exclusion is the language we hear today. In that context, it is mostly the small NGOs that provide the connectedness, innovation and human support which can give us a sustainable society-a society that is alive and responsive.

I could give pages of references and footnotes to justify this analysis, to support my view that the community sector must be a top priority for governments today. However, the reality is that the real costs and the real values are not being adequately factored in. As it happens, people who work in the community sector often give it up when they are worn down. They become consultants or they join the public service, where the work is mostly less confronting and demanding-where at least they can take holidays, and they get paid at a reasonable rate. A number of people have started out in the youth sector, for example, and have moved into a government program or policy unit for a better career. Yes, it is a great training ground, but you would not want to stay there, would you?

Speaking of the youth sector, it is ironic that this Labor government has disadvantaged the youth sector significantly in an effort to save money, by giving them a CPI increase less than that of other services. Somehow, the youth sector was on the wrong side again, just as it was when Kate Carnell flexed her muscles a few years ago. The issue of wages and salaries is fraught. The latest change to the SACS award, which has coverage of most employees in the community sector, has been to significantly increase the salary costs for people working at a lower level.

In terms of how we treat employees, this is entirely reasonable. The problem is that small NGOs never have much room to manoeuvre-they have little or no surplus. If they build up significant surpluses, they might find that their operating grants-if that is how they are funded-are cut back. Once again, with no additional income to cover these increased costs, Canberra's community organisations are having to sacrifice invaluable programs to remain viable. This is distressing, destructive and demoralising.

Furthermore, the award has reduced salary levels at the top end of the scale, although people already employed at such levels will not face wage cuts. As governments have shown themselves to be entirely unlikely to fund organisations above the level of awards, in the future, as top staff move on to other challenges and opportunities, the community sector will face increasing difficulty in attracting and retaining managers and executives of high quality. In other words, it is not simply that the situation is not improving, it is in fact getting worse.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .