Thursday, 14 November 2024

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:51): (1296) My adjournment is for the minister for finance, and the action I seek, Minister, is for your department to provide strategic investment and funding in the core services that Financial Counselling Victoria, FCVic, provides throughout our state and particularly in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region and beyond.

Statistics provided in the South East Community Links annual report 2024 show that throughout 2023–24 events hosted at Dandenong, Noble Park, Cranbourne West, Pakenham and Springvale resulted in supporting 1000-plus community members, which resulted in over half a million dollars in debts being resolved. That is right, it was $511,000 of debt that was resolved. Across the South East Community Links network 27,577 people and families have been supported. In Victoria $12.6 million in debt was alleviated through financial counselling. Maybe this government needs to get this type of financial counselling as well.

Due to this Labor government, we have rising interest rates, we have rental unaffordability and we have soaring bills and increasing taxes, compounding the hardships that impact vulnerable Victorians. Food insecurity and mortgage stress now affect approximately one-third of Victorian households – that is right, you heard me, one-third Victorian households – with greater reliance on credit cards and other low-regulation lines of credit to make ends meet. These pressures are not temporary; they represent a fundamental shift in financial vulnerability across our communities. This irresponsible, self-serving government is completely and utterly responsible for this fundamental shift in our cost of living, because we have had 10 years of a Labor state government – that is right, 10 years.

Over the 12-month financial year the key findings from the South East Community Links annual report show shocking statistics on food insecurity: 70 per cent reported it was getting much harder to get food, 41 per cent went without meals, 66 per cent had to use emergency relief, including food parcels and vouchers – that is right, 66 per cent. On energy hardship, 65 per cent were worried about being to pay their utility bills, 50 per cent had to reduce their water and energy usage and 49 per cent have accessed utility relief grants or payment plans. On children, 43 per cent of parents said their children missed out on after-school activities, 32 per cent could not afford school supplies and 12 per cent reported that their children went to school without lunch. This is in Victoria, and it is a disgrace.