Page 1483 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2007
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sector. Unfortunately, I do not believe Ms Sattler was in the room. She would have been able to hear directly from us how many of those initiatives benefit the community sector.
I also have to respond to the hypocrisy of the opposition, who for years in government failed to meet even basic pay increases in the community sector, let alone index the community sector at a rate that is favourable. In fact, when we came to government, there were a number of budgets—including back to 2002-03—in which we provided SACS award increases to address the shortfall of the SACS awards, the wages in the community sector, which were not able to be met by the mean-spirited indexation arrangements that existed at that time.
We index at 3.75 per cent—the most generous of all states or territories. Any government in this country does not index the community sector as we do—3.75 per cent. The average is around three per cent. It goes below; it goes down to about 2.5. We have the most generous indexation arrangements on offer in the community sector from any—
Mrs Dunne: And it’s not all community organisations.
MS GALLAGHER: It is a combination of the wage price index and the CPI. It is 80 to 20. But that is driven by wages—80 per cent. We have taken it from two per cent, to 2½ per cent, to 3.75 per cent in the community sector.
There are also a number of initiatives in this year’s budget to further address demands in the community sector. As I have said, quite a bit of the money from the mental health initiative will go to the community sector. There is money in the disability initiative to the community sector. We have return-to-work grants, which will benefit many of the women that the community sector provides support to.
There are capital programs for upgrades of facilities, and for targeted refurbishments of childcare facilities and other venues that the community sector reside in, which we will provide extra support for. There is a range of initiatives in this. There is the youth health service initiative, where we are further expanding the junction youth health model, again to be provided by the community sector. The alcohol and drug sector will receive extra support for a women’s and children’s initiative.
There is a lot in this budget for the community sector. I disagree with Ms Sattler’s analysis. I think it was unfair. We are meeting our responsibilities to the community sector. We work in partnership with them and we work very well with them. In fact, the meeting that the Chief Minister and I attended, along with Dr Foskey and Ms MacDonald, at lunchtime today reflected that strong relationship that exists and acknowledgement of a lot of the initiatives in this year’s budget to support the work of the community sector.
MRS DUNNE: I ask a supplementary question. The Deputy Chief Minister outlined a number of initiatives—
MR SPEAKER: Come to the question, please.
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