Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Thursday, 19 May 2011, I hosted the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Jenny Macklin MP, during her visit to my seat of Banks. The purpose of the visit was to show the minister the work done by the Salvation Army St George Community Welfare Centre in Hurstville, particularly in the area of providing emergency assistance to those in desperate need. The Salvation Army has a 130-year history of helping the poor and the disadvantaged.

The minister met case managers, both full time and volunteer, together with senior Salvation Army representatives. What really struck both of us was the room at the back of the offices where food and other basic commodities are kept to provide immediate assistance to people coming in off the street.

The minister outlined the government's plan, announced in the recent budget, to continue to provide funding for emergency relief and financial counselling through agencies such as the Salvos. The government will be providing an extra $83.3 million to vulnerable Australians over the next four years. This represents a 60 per cent increase on base funding for emergency relief providers across Australia.

In my seat $151, 693 will be provided to the Salvation Army, $175,366 to St Vincent de Paul in Hurstville and $176,434 to Padstow Community Centre—a total of over $500,000 for the electorate of Banks alone in 2011-12. This funding will ensure that local people will have access to emergency assistance, including food, clothing and pharmacy and transport vouchers, when they need it most. With our patchwork economy, it is vital that we do not forget those in need. In addition the Australian government will continue to support the No-Interest Loans Scheme, which the Salvation Army's St George community welfare centre currently provides in Hurstville. No-interest loans help people on low incomes make household purchases to meet unexpected costs such as buying a new washing machine. The popular program is delivered nationally by local community organisations in partnership with Good Shepherd Youth and Family Services and NAB. The Australian government is providing $60.6 million over the next four years to support innovative projects such as no- and low-interest loan schemes, matched savings schemes and financial literacy projects.

In my years practising as a legal aid solicitor and barrister, there were occasions when my clients were desperately in need of life essentials and counselling. The Salvos never let me down. This year the Salvation Army's Red Shield Appeal will be held on May 28-29 and I will again be involved in assisting the many volunteers as they knock on doors. In my experience, very few people say no to the Salvos and, in fact, are usually very generous. One of the Salvation Army majors I met last week was just on his way back from speaking at local schools to encourage students to act as door-knocking volunteers. I encourage people to either volunteer to assist in collecting for the Red Shield Appeal or, if collectors arrive on your doorstep on 28 or 29 May, to give as generously as you can. I was very pleased to meet with my local Salvos and to introduce the minister to the hard-working team at Hurstville. Again, I encourage everyone to become involved in assisting the Salvos in their vital work.

This is the sort of assistance that should be given by government. There is a partnership here and the money that we give is miniscule compared to the effort that is given by the volunteers of all those organisations in assisting the dispossessed and the needy in our community. It is a Good Samaritan approach. If we were to actually pay these organisations what they were worth, our budget would be continually in the red on that alone. Volunteerism is something that Australians are well known for, and that was shown in the Sydney 2000 Olympics. This is another area of volunteerism where these volunteers will use the money from the government to help those most in need in our community. They are not the loudest. They are the most vulnerable. They are not greedy. They are in need. You judge a civilised society on the way it helps those in need. We do not put the boot into them. We help them. We give them a hand up. That is why I think the government's increase in funding is something to be commended and lauded.