Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Neighbourhood houses

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (19:11): (715) My request is for the Treasurer to work with the Minister for Carers and Volunteers to provide increased recurrent funding to secure the future of Victoria’s neighbourhood houses. Over the last year I have met with coordinators from neighbourhood houses in northern Victoria and seen firsthand the excellent work that they do. Their workload has increased dramatically as local residents battle the cost-of-living pressures and recover after natural disasters. They do great work at the coalface, supporting anyone who comes in the door across a very broad range of issues.

But in the last week I have received correspondence from neighbourhood houses across northern Victoria, including Birchip, Nathalia and Mooroopna. They have raised concerns about current funding levels, the increased demand for emergency food relief and a lack of funding to establish new neighbourhood houses in growth areas with obvious needs. There is now a serious threat to their viability under the current neighbourhood house coordination program.

Their correspondence outlines several concerns. The program has suffered more than 10 years of indexation which is well below the cost increases they have incurred. They have experienced a dramatic increase in community demand for food and material relief, which has placed an unsustainable cost burden on neighbourhood houses, and there is no funding within the program to support new neighbourhood houses despite a growing population.

Our neighbourhood houses are currently fighting an uphill battle when it comes to funding and now face having to cut programs, including the provision of emergency food relief, which is not funded. Neighbourhood houses and community centres provide a valuable service to local communities right across Victoria, yet local coordinators spend valuable time applying for grants just to cover costs, because they are on tight budgets and have limited resources.

More than half of Victoria’s neighbourhood houses are located in regional Victoria, and they provide a range of services, including child care, maternal child health, skills development, libraries, seniors groups, wellbeing activities, food banks and government support services. Our neighbourhood houses are running on the smell of an oily rag, and together with my Nationals colleagues the action I seek is for the Treasurer to ensure that the coming state budget provides increased recurrent funding to secure their future.