As the ACT Government prepares to hand down its budget, ACT Greens Leader, Jo Clay, and ACT Greens Member for Brindabella, Laura Nuttall, are calling on the Labor to invest more into the vital community services that thousands of Canberrans rely on every day.
"Community services are often the difference between someone surviving and someone slipping through the cracks," said Ms Nuttall.
"They are the food relief workers helping families keep groceries on the table, the youth workers supporting young people facing homelessness and the domestic violence services answering the phone in moments of crisis.
"Yet right now, many of these services are being forced to operate under a cloud of uncertainty, without the secure, long-term funding they need to properly support the community.
"With the ACT Budget fast approaching, we have been consistently pressuring the ACT Labor Government to inject much needed funds into these vital services for our community.
"In March I called on the ACT Labor Government to provide a $20 million annual funding increase and greater funding security to community organisations.
"We know these services are becoming increasingly stretched as more people in our community struggle to make ends meet. These organisations have such important work to do supporting real people - they shouldn't have to spend their time fighting for survival year after year," said Ms Nuttall.
ACT Greens Leader, Jo Clay, said the Labor Government had an obligation to bring greater certainty and stability to Canberra's community sector, warning that short-term funding cycles, insufficient indexation and consistent underfunding are putting enormous strain on organisations, the staff who work there and the people who rely on these essential services.
"Behind every funding decision are real people," said Ms Clay.
"When community organisations don't know whether their funding will continue or go backwards in real terms, it's not just staff contracts on the line - it's whether a young person can access crisis support, whether a family can cook a meal that night, or whether someone struggling with their mental health can get help before reaching breaking point.
"These organisations are an essential part of our city's social fabric. They deserve secure funding, respect for the work they do, and the certainty needed to plan for the future," said Ms Clay.
The ACT Greens are calling on the ACT Labor Government to increase funding for these vital services, provide appropriate indexation and provide longer-term funding arrangements that allow organisations to focus on what matters most - caring for people, strengthening communities, and ensuring no one is left behind.
