Page 2520 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
yesterday by the Australian Council of Social Service and the University of New South Wales, underscores that growing inequality is an issue of national concern.
While Canberra is a wealthy city, many Canberrans experience financial distress at various points in their lives. Emergency relief and financial support services provide short-term support to individuals and families experiencing disadvantage or financial crisis. In 2017, the ACT government undertook a redesign process for this program, engaging with the community sector to better understand the nature of poverty in our city and the emerging needs of the community.
This process highlighted that support needed to extend beyond the provision of immediate financial or material aid and that people who seek this support may also benefit from services to help them address issues in key areas of wellbeing. This has resulted in a more strategic approach in these services to ensure that Canberrans get the support they need when they need it.
Following my announcement in June, I am pleased to confirm that the new emergency relief and financial support services commenced from 1 July with six community organisations: Care Inc, Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre, OzHarvest, St Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army and UnitingCare Kippax.
Between them, these community organisations will be funded for a total of almost $6.5 million over three years to deliver a range of services, including the ACTÂ microcredit program, emergency material and financial aid, financial counselling, food assistance and the no interest loan program.
I look forward to hearing from the community as these providers continue to make a difference to the lives of many Canberrans.
MR STEEL: Why was it important to engage with the ACT community in the redesign of this program?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Steel for the supplementary. The redesign process was very important to enable the ACT government to leverage the knowledge and experience of the community sector to identify how emergency relief and financial support can better serve those in need.
The Community Services Directorate commissioned a report from leading researchers at the Public Service Research Group at the University of New South Wales, bringing together insight from national and ACT data, existing providers and those who work with the most vulnerable in our community.
Emergency relief is a stop-gap measure to help people with immediate and unplanned short-term financial difficulties. It includes food, household goods, clothing, transport, assistance with prescription medicines, utility payments and other vouchers. Many people accessing emergency relief have not needed this kind of help before, people whose relationships have broken down or who have lost their jobs, for example. These are people who could very easily end up in a worse place or whose lives could be turned back around with the right support.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video