Thanks isn't enough: Urgent review needed of State Government funding for social services sector
- Friday 2 July 2021
Bendigo Community Health Services has joined the social services sector in calling on the Victorian Government to urgently review current funding to ensure the future of community care.
The Victorian Council of Social Service has launched a Thanks Isn't Enough campaign to highlight present funding does not cover the cost of service delivery putting organisations and jobs at risk.
VCOSS said State Government funding for social service agencies was indexed, meaning it’s supposed to go up each year in line with the cost of delivering services. Costs are going up more than four per cent this year but State Government funding for 2021/22 is only increasing two per cent.
"In real terms, that’s a (funding) cut. This is an absolute body blow to those organisations which supported Victorians through the worst of COVID," VCOSS CEO Emma King said.
Ms King said costs had increased dramatically over the past year because of factors outside the control of service organisations such as a recent increase to the minimum wage (up 2.5%), new superannuation contribution requirements (increasing charities’ wages bills by 0.5%) and new Portable Long Service Leave obligations.
“Funding needs to increase by at least four per cent just to cover the rising costs of delivering services,” Ms King said.
Bendigo Community Health Services CEO Gerard José said government funding must allow organisations to continue delivering quality care to the community.
"The pressures on not-for-profit organisations like BCHS are enormous at the moment," Mr José said.
"We cannot accept any funding system that puts services and jobs in danger when it comes to health care and ensuring the health and wellbeing of our community.
"Our staff have already gone above and beyond through this pandemic. Their resilience and determination to keep the community healthy and safe has been truly amazing and this type of dedication should be supported not put in danger by essentially a funding cut that means 'sorry, you now have to do more with less'. How fair is that?