Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises:

(a) the vital role of neighbourhood and community centres in providing essential social services to individuals and communities in need, particularly in the regions;

(b) neighbourhood and community centres provide critical relief and emergency support where other services do not exist; and

(c) the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly and selflessly for others;

(2) expresses concern that many centres are underfunded and heavily reliant on ad hoc competitive grant funding from state and Commonwealth governments; and

(3) calls on the Government to provide long-term operational funding and dedicated infrastructure funding to secure the future of neighbourhood and community centres and the services each provide to people in desperate need of help.

I rise today to highlight the extraordinary work of community and neighbourhood centres across the midcoast and the growing challenges they face as they support Australians doing it tough. I moved this motion to recognise the life-saving work of neighbourhood and community centres in my electorate, including the Forster Neighbourhood Centre, the Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group, the Dungog Shire Community Centre, Mid Coast Outreach and the Manning Valley Neighbourhood Services. Each does invaluable work and provides vital services, including emergency relief, advice and referrals; child and family support; no-interest loan schemes; and various community programs.

At the Dungog Community Centre, demand for support continues to rise as cost-of-living pressures bite deeper into regional households. As the centre has made clear:

We are seeing more people than ever before who have never needed help—families, workers, older Australians—now coming to us because they simply cannot make ends meet.

Yet, despite this surge in demand, funding remains short term and uncertain, making it difficult to plan and deliver sustainable services.

At the Forster Neighbourhood Centre, the housing crisis is no longer abstract; it is immediate and visible. The centre reports that housing stress and homelessness are now the No. 1 issue that they're dealing with. They're seeing people sleeping in cars, couch surfing or facing eviction with nowhere to go. These are not isolated cases; they are becoming the norm.

In Gloucester, the Gloucester neighbourhood centre is grappling with the realities of serving a dispersed, often isolated, population. As they've said:

We are expected to do everything—from food relief to disaster recovery support—with limited staff and heavy reliance on volunteers.

And those volunteers are stretched to their limits. Meanwhile, Mid Coast Outreach are taking services directly to people across vast regional distances, often at significant cost. They note:

The cost of delivering outreach services across our region is rising rapidly, particularly fuel and transport, while demand continues to grow.

Across all these organisations, the story is the same: demand is surging, needs are becoming more complex, and yet the resources available to meet those needs are not keeping pace.

The Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group has had $100,000 worth of federal government funding received via the Salvation Army cut. This in turn means that the Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group has had to cease its safety net program, which enabled the provision of fuel vouchers, online grocery shopping cards and pharmacy relief to those experiencing serious financial hardship. The cuts by this government have had a real and immediate impact.

The Forster Neighbourhood Centre does not receive core operational funding; therefore, their hub is staffed by volunteers five days of the week. They are also not funded to provide crisis support, but, because they have a physical location and a door that is always open, they are increasingly doing the work of the services that are funded. This has to change.

For the current financial year, Foster Neighbourhood Centre is tracking an increase of 50 per cent in requests for assistance. Consequently, with more presentations and requests for assistance and yet less funding, these centres are increasingly being forced to shift from early intervention to crisis response. They are filling the gaps left by a fragmented system. They are supporting people who have nowhere else to turn, and they are doing so with extraordinary dedication but with very limited means. With such a small amount of income, some community and neighbourhood centres estimate they are achieving well over $1.5 million in social value for their communities. This needs to be recognised and resourced appropriately by both levels of government.

If we are serious about supporting regional communities, then we must recognise that community and neighbourhood centres are not optional extras. They are essential infrastructure. Core operational funding for neighbourhood and community centres is crucial to support regional communities now and into the future. They are often the last line of defence for vulnerable Australians, and they deserve funding certainty, workforce support and recognition equal to the role they play. When these centres are strong, our communities are strong, but, when they are stretched to breaking point, it is the most vulnerable who pay the price.

I look forward to having engagement with the Minister for Social Services. I appreciate that her office has been willing to engage with me on these important matters. I like to think that they are beyond politics, because we are trying to support those who need our support the most.

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