Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I was growing up one of my very good friends, Virginia Shedden, told me what her mother did. I did not quite understand what she meant. Her mother is Zena Shedden and she used to have a very good friend, Val Cooper, who she worked with. Virginia explained to me what her mother did and for someone who came from a very loving home and could not have wanted for anything, what she was explaining seemed very foreign to me. She explained to me that her mother Zena and Val worked at a place called Blacktown Community Aid. It is an organisation that helps young people, desperate people and people in our community who have nowhere left to turn. I did not know that, many years later, I would become a patron of this great organisation.

Today, unfortunately, I rise to condemn this government for its attack on the underprivileged and at-risk members of my community by defunding Blacktown Community Aid and Information Services and effectively ending it after 41 years. Blacktown Community Aid has been serving Blacktown's most vulnerable for over 40 years. It has worked tirelessly to help victims of domestic violence, Blacktown's homeless population and many more vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

Just three days before Christmas, I got an email from Blacktown Community Aid telling me that unfortunately they would no longer be able to continue operating because this government had ripped vital funding from the centre as it cut funding across the board to homelessness, community support and financial support services around the country.

For over 40 years this organisation had been assisting people in my community who were really struggling, and now this government just closed its doors. Blacktown Community Aid Coordinator, Corine Raymond said:

We will now have to close our doors after 41 years of service, obviously their (the Government's) decision making process wasn't well thought out, especially in a needy place like Blacktown where we have serviced many vulnerable Australians. This news has caused a lot of grief and huge disappointment in the community sector, especially 3 days before Christmas.

This is news that has united the Blacktown community in its condemnation of this government. You only need to look to some of the comments on the Blacktown Sun's Facebook page. From Francesca Agosti:

A disgrace. This is what the good people of Western Sydney can expect from Liberal governments.

From Marilynn Bradd:

It's not fair. What happens to the community now!

Susan McGuire:

It is a big mistake, dreadful and shocking. It will cause all sorts of problems for the local area. It is a much needed facility. I cannot understand how this can happen. I want to know how they can justify it.

Debbie Hicks:

Just wrong. This closure should not proceed.

Blacktown Women's & Girls' Health Centre, a very respected organisation, said:

What a terrible loss for the local community.

Indira Devi said:

Blacktown Community Aid has always been there to provide support and aid to the community. I hope the Politicians are ready to put their hands in their own pockets. Stop promising and start delivering.

This is the impact of this government's twisted agenda; this is the real world impact.

You cannot just slash support to those in the community who are struggling and not expect it to have a damaging impact on the social cohesion of that community. Our community is angry. It is the same story with Holroyd Community Aid. The government thinks this budget is fair. I call on the Prime Minister to come to Blacktown and explain to Blacktown Community Aid why it is fair that they have had to close their doors, whilst multinational companies let off the hook when it comes to paying their fair share of tax. Ever since the election, this government has attacked the most disadvantaged in our community, continuously breaking its election promises. This year, 2015, will be a tough year for many Australians and it has been made harder because of this Prime Minister and his unworthy and cruel government.

I say to Blacktown Community Aid, to all its volunteers—it was primarily a volunteer organisation: you operated with transparency and diligence for 41 years. Our community thanks you for what you have done. You have been far more cost-effective than many other organisations could hope to be. The outputs and your ability to achieve so much for our community far exceeded any costs associated with running the organisation. Thank you for everything you did for our local area. We will be far worse off without you. Unfortunately, there will be some in our community who will be absolutely devastated by this, and this will manifest itself in the months and years to come.