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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-29 Daily Xml
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FAMILIES SA

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:15): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Families and Communities a question regarding Families SA.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: I am on record as supporting the recent government announcement to increase funding for child protection by an extra $69.1 million over the next four years. It is a statement I do not back away from at all. It is a good move.

However, in allocating that extra $69 million over the next four years to the crisis services of alternative care and reunification services, unfortunately they are failing to address a 23 per cent or $2 million cut to the Family and Community Development Program. It appears as though the government is focusing all of its attention on crisis programs, at the expense of preventive and early intervention programs, by making this $2 million cut.

I have been approached by one welfare group in particular that is very concerned about this and raised a number of issues which I would like to briefly put to the minister, in particular in relation to the $2 million cut in funding. The first concern they have raised is that it will greatly reduce support to thousands of disadvantaged families, young people and communities across the state. It will greatly reduce the number of community centres and early intervention and prevention services, potentially eliminate or diminish the support of peak bodies, and weaken infrastructure of non-government organisations and their capacity to provide programs for the disadvantaged.

It will actually cost the government more money, according to this organisation, in the long term, through having to provide more future crisis services because of the people not being helped through this program. It directly contradicts most criteria defined in the sustainable budget framework, particularly financial sustainability and, finally, it directly contradicts state government policies, including the SA Strategic Plan, the DFC's strategic plan, the Stronger Together agreement with non-government organisations and recommendations of the 2003 child protection review. My questions to the minister are simply:

1. Is the minister aware of the research which shows that for every $1 invested in early intervention in this area and prevention services it saves something like $7 later on in the process?

2. In light of this, will the minister reconsider this decision?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (15:17): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions and will refer those to the Minister for Families and Communities in another place and bring back a response.

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