Motions

Community Service Organisations

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (15:51): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the vital role that peak bodies in the homelessness, housing, disability and community sectors play in South Australia; and

2. Recognises that any cut in funding to peak bodies would result in them being unable to continue much of the essential advocacy and research work they do in our community.

Every single day, South Australians are becoming increasingly alarmed by the Marshall government's cuts, closures and privatisations, and as the 2019-20 state budget looms there will be even more devastating funding cuts. The Marshall government has not as yet ruled out cruel cuts to the state's peak bodies.

There is a huge variety of peak bodies in South Australia. They provide frank and fearless advice to the government on critical issues such as volunteering, homelessness and social justice. They provide a one-stop shop for government and the human services sector to share information and experiences. They conduct timely and cost-effective research and policy development. They advocate for change, they educate the community and they create public debate on relevant issues.

When people think of an overarching peak body in South Australia, it is generally SACOSS, the South Australian Council of Social Service, which comes to mind. SACOSS is the peak body for the non-government health and community services sector in South Australia. SACOSS does not accept poverty, inequity or injustice. It has a powerful and representative voice that leads and supports the community to take actions that achieve justice, opportunity and shared wealth for all South Australians.

Importantly, SACOSS holds the government, business and communities to account for actions that disadvantage vulnerable people. It is a strong-willed organisation and it is highly regarded by the community, by Labor and by the media. I urge the Marshall government to rule out any funding cuts to this vital peak body.

Homelessness Australia is another national peak body that springs to mind. With increasing homelessness rates around the nation, it is absolutely abhorrent that this group was defunded by the federal government in 2015. It now operates on the smell of an oily rag and has neither an office nor paid staff. The Marshall government must make a commitment to South Australians that socially focused peak bodies whose aim is to improve the lives of vulnerable people in our state will not have serious cuts, or any cuts whatsoever, to their budgets.

Let me give you some examples of the vital work other South Australian peak bodies undertake. The Aboriginal Health Council of SA (AHCSA) works with communities through its members to ensure that governments and government departments clearly hear community needs. Therefore, AHCSA's role is to act as a watchdog over the provision of health services appropriately meeting community needs. Aboriginal health means not just the physical wellbeing of an individual but also refers to the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the whole community, in which each individual is able to achieve their full potential.

Carers SA's mission is to promote, assist, empower and enhance the lives of family carers. Its mission is to work to improve the health, wellbeing, resilience and financial security of carers and to ensure that caring is a shared responsibility of family, community and the government. This peak body is the voice of carers so that their contribution to the South Australian community is heard. I have certainly had some very positive interactions with Carers SA in the South-East. They fulfil a very valuable role there and are highly valued by the local community.

Shelter SA is the state's peak body for housing, advocating for safe, affordable and appropriate housing for all citizens. New figures show that the number of people sleeping rough in the city has jumped from 143 to 227 in one year. This is a significant jump and begs the question: what is this government doing to help vulnerable South Australians and what hope do they have when the heartless Marshall Liberal government continually cuts funding to crucial services, support networks and departments?

I want to applaud the work of peak bodies in South Australia and across the nation. In the past year, we have seen callous disregard from the Marshall Liberal government when it comes to South Australians who rely on the support of peak bodies to advocate on their behalf. I therefore want to call on the Marshall government to provide certainty that these vital groups and organisations will not be at the mercy of the Treasurer's chopping block.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.S. Lee.