Page 841 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 22 March 2017
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This position from the government shows exactly how much they have misunderstood the nature of SHOUT’s work. SHOUT is not a disability service provider in the traditional sense. Madam Speaker, if you will, let me remind the Assembly exactly what this organisation does, this organisation that the ACT government believes is not worth funding. SHOUT operates as an umbrella organisation for member and affiliate self-help groups, providing a point of contact for clients and member groups and affiliates, a referral point for the public, and an information resource centre.
SHOUT enables member organisations, many of whom are small volunteer community-focused bodies, to continue to function effectively by providing administrative, back-end support to enable these smaller bodies to focus on delivering front-line services. The infrastructure and community connection made available are critical components of the ongoing viability of these organisations.
In July 2016, in response to a survey of its 47 members and affiliates, SHOUT identified, from the 26 organisations that responded, that 2,600 individuals are being supported via the member organisations; over 2,500 families are being supported, and this number could conservatively be extrapolated to 5,000 families, impacting 20,000 individuals. There are over 500 volunteers supporting the 26 organisations, which could be extrapolated to 1,000 volunteers. Four out of the 26 organisations had no paid staff and eight organisations had three or fewer paid part-time staff. Members and partners see SHOUT as being a vital conduit to the community, and the support and infrastructure provided mean they do not feel isolated. This had given them the ability to be more professional and responsive and to be able to provide a better service to the community. SHOUT provides stable and affordable premises from which the groups can operate and offer training or meeting rooms and administrative support and so that they are able to have a physical presence.
These items are of critical importance to the organisations supported by SHOUT. SHOUT’s future relies on continuing base funding to enable it to support its member groups and affiliates.
As Jon Stanhope AO, former ACT Labor Chief Minister and patron of SHOUT, says—and his previous role in the Assembly means his words do carry some credibility when he says this:
Every government in Canberra since the 1980s has, for starkly obvious reasons, regarded the funding of SHOUT as a priority. The decision to cease funding SHOUT has, therefore, to be interpreted as meaning that the government believes that it is either now redundant or at best that its existence and operations are not now regarded as a priority
SHOUT’s annual funding from government has been $124,000, with $36,000 of this quarantined for rent which is returned to the government through the Community Services Directorate. SHOUT has subsidised the cost of critical infrastructure and staff, recovering approximately $20,000 from members through individual service level agreements and membership fees. In essence, after staff costs, the organisation is left with just over $3,000 per month or $40,000 per year to fund all other operational and program costs. After being told that they would need to change their business
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