Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Christmas Eve last year, many community organisations in my electorate of Richmond were told that they would have their funding cut. This was a bad decision from a bad government. In regions like mine, they blame the National Party for these cruel and heartless cuts. Two hundred and seventy million dollars was slashed from some of the most important front-line services right across the country. These organisations are the backbone of our communities. They provide services to our most vulnerable people, services like emergency relief, financial counselling, parenting programs, housing and homelessness organisations, and youth support.

I recently joined with the Family Centre in Tweed Heads to launch a petition to save the REALskills program. The government axed this early intervention and prevention program, which helps young people gain important life skills and knowledge. REALskills has a proven track record of making a difference to the lives of so many people.

I turn to Byron Bay. The General Manager of Byron Community Centre, Paul Spooner, says its long-running emergency relief operation will cease at the end of March due to these cruel cuts. He said the loss will be a blow to society's most vulnerable, like 'people who need things like food vouchers just to provide food on the table for their children'. We are talking about people who are going to have their electricity cut off.

The North Coast branch of St Vincent de Paul says the federal government has cut its emergency relief budget by 70 per cent. The manager, Brian Goodall, said:

There are a lot of people in New South Wales especially the Northern Rivers who depend on us to survive, especially mothers with kids, people are going to go hungry …

… We've had an unfair budget and now this …

Locals blame the National Party for these cruel cuts. It shows that, when it comes to regional Australia, you cannot trust the National Party.