‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TOPICS:

Funding cut through Department of Social Services to food charities in Horsham, Stawell, cost-of-living crisis, volunteering

MARSHALL:

So the Australian government is investing $275 million into food, petrol, clothing, other aid for people that are doing it tough at the moment. But locally, two of our charities have reported having their funding cut and it is these community support organisations that are at the front line in keeping those in the Wimmera fed and housed as well. They do so much important work. Bev Miatke is the client assessment manager at the Christian Emergency Food Centre here in Horsham. She's helping. families in need of food right across the Wimmera, not just in Horsham, and she's not had their funding renewed. She spoke with ABC Regional Drive presenter Prue Bentley about what's happened.

MIATKE:

Well, we're an organisation run by local Christian churches here in Horsham and we've been going nearly 27 years, but for quite a lot of that time we've been getting some funding from the Department of Social Services and just recently we were just told... kind of out of the blue, that we were no longer getting any funding. And we didn't really even get any answers as well, there's an organisation in Mildura getting funding, an organisation in Ararat getting funding, the local Aboriginal group here, which only helps Aboriginals, and the Salvation Army property people here in Horsham were getting funding so we weren't getting any funding so we couldn't really figure that out because none of those organisations - as amazing as they probably are - don't feed people in Horsham so I don't know where they expect people from Horsham to get their food if they're needy.

MARSHALL:

That's Bev Miatke. She also stated that there's a bit of transition funding for September, but after that they won't receive any more funding and they will keep going as long as they can, but they aren't sure about what is going to happen. The member for Mallee, Dr Anne Webster, met with the Horsham-based Christian Emergency Food Centre and the Stawell Interchurch Council and has called on councils to join her in advocating to the government for a review. Good morning, Dr Webster.

WEBSTER: 

Good morning, Grace. How are you?

MARSHALL: 

Well, thank you. So can you just take me through your understanding of what's happened with this funding and why it hasn't been given, why it's been cut?

WEBSTER: 

Well, if I knew the answer to that, I would be able to inform everyone. Of course, we don't have that intel from the government. Tanya Plibersek increased the funding for food and relief charities 25 per cent, that is a significant increase, but in Mallee, both the Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre and the Stawell Interchurch, or the Cottage is what they call it, have been providing these services for many, years and suddenly their funding is gone. I have asked Tanya Plibersek why this has happened and I'm still waiting for an answer. The fact that the Christian Emergency Food Centre in Horsham has been providing services for 27 years and the Cottage in Stawell for 55 years, I mean, honestly, this is local knowledge, local understanding of their communities, and they've been providing an incredible service. The Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre has 70 volunteers. I met several of them a couple of weeks ago when I went down there to see both centres and talk with those who run them. And it really is quite distressing that this funding has been cut. So Uniting Vic Tas has been providing the funding indirectly to the Cottage, but their funding has been cut 80 per cent. How can you increase the national funding 25 per cent and cut Uniting Vic Tas, 80 oer cent who provide two other smaller charities so they can do their work? These charities provide an immense amount of good out of that small amount of funding. It's just $82,000 for Horsham and $52,000 for the cottage in Stawell. And they multiply that funding with other gifts and charities and volunteers and I just find it unbelievable, frankly, that the Albanese government has taken this funding away. My understanding, Grace, is that this is just simply part of how Labor tend to work, is to centralise funding. So the very big bodies, they give the funding to them and, you know, want them to disburse it. But the problem is in regional centres, if you don't have local knowledge, then that funding simply is not provided to the local communities.

MARSHALL:

When asked, the federal government said it had no record of the Stawell Interchurch Council submitting an application for the emergency relief grant fund, but they weren't aware that they needed to apply for that because previously they've been given that funding and then they weren't aware that they had to apply and then they were just told 'we're not funding you'. Is that what the organisation has spoken to you?

WEBSTER: 

Well, what they've said to me is that they ceased getting funding a few years ago but were advised to get their funding from Uniting Vic Tas, which they've been doing and they've therefore been able to continue services. But now that VicTas have had their, Uniting VicTas have had their funding cut 80 per cent, I mean, that may as well put them out of business, then they can't continue continue to fund these smaller organisations.

MARSHALL:

Yeah, it's just astonishing that these organisations are having this funding cut, especially, you know, we are in a cost-of-living crisis. We're heading into Christmas. These are the times where families really need this support.

WEBSTER:

Look, 100 per cent, you've taken the words right out of my mouth. This cost of living crisis has not gone away just because people don't talk about it every day. People are doing it incredibly tough. The dollar just simply doesn't buy what it used to buy and the charities have said to me that they are seeing people who are actually earning through a wage but are not earning enough to put food on their table. So we've got a whole new category, if you like, if you want to use government speak, of people who are now having to rely on food charities to meet their everyday needs. It really is a shocking situation and I'll be certainly speaking about it when I get into Parliament in a couple of weeks' time when we go back to Canberra - so, yeah, very, very disappointing.

MARSHALL:

So you've mentioned that you will be talking to Horsham Rural City Council and the Northern Grampians Shire Council who service the areas where these charities are. Have you had those conversations with them?

WEBSTER: 

Yes. Yeah, I've met with both of them in that same trip when I was down there, and they have agreed to also support the push or the advocacy for these charities because they know how much they supply to their regions, to their communities. This is about having a local focus, a place-based approach to the work that we do as opposed to eastern seaboard, major capital city funding, that, you know, there's an assumption that it will kind of bleed out into the regions. That is not how it should work. The regions need to be funded independently of capital cities and the needs need to be understood, whereas I honestly don't get the impression that Labor pays too much attention, frankly, to what goes on in the regions and it's evidenced by the lack of funding that's coming out, whether it's roads, infrastructure, it's just not happening. The last four years have been atrocious.

MARSHALL:

So Bev Miatke, who's the client assessment manager at the Christian Emergency Food Centre here in Horsham, she said that the funding that they currently have will maybe see them through to the end of September. We're under two weeks away from that ending.

WEBSTER: 

That's right.

MARSHALL:

What happens after that?

WEBSTER: 

Well, as she says, and I spoke with her about this, I mean, honestly, I had tears in my eyes listening listening and standing around with the volunteers because they're so committed to giving. I mean, it's such a wonderful human trait. And here they are in a position where they have some donations from grocery stores, you know, out-of-date products, they have, you know, there are bits bits and pieces. But the $82,000 a year, honestly, it is a drop in the ocean compared to the funding that we heard announced yesterday for renewable energy. It is a drop in the ocean, and I don't know how these charities are going to be able to continue. At least all their staff are volunteer. You know, it doesn't get better than that. This is the Aussie spirit at work. And I am just so disappointed to see that well run historically, the historical evidence is there that these are excellent charities doing excellent work in our communities that nobody else is doing are being unfunded.

MARSHALL:

Well, thank you so much for your time this morning, Dr Webster. I really, appreciate it. We'll see what happens as you speak with the government moving forward.

WEBSTER: 

Thank you so much, Grace. Good to talk to you.

MARSHALL: 

That's Dr Anne Webster, member for Mallee, speaking on the funding that has been cut for the Christian Emergency Food Relief Centre here in Horsham and the Interchurch in Stawell. In a moment, I will speak with Mary Rita Thomas, who runs the Christian Centre in Stawell, about the impact of this funding being cut. We did go to the government. In a statement, a spokesperson said,

The Australian government is investing $275 million for immediate aid for people doing it it tough, including for food and petrol vouchers, clothes, beddings or toiletries. We're committed to working with all providers to ensure a smooth transition to the new grant arrangements.

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