ACOSS have been working hard to ensure appropriate transitional arrangements for community organisations that lost funding through the recent DSS grants process. Minister Morrison’s announcement on Friday 31 January provided those transitional arrangements for a large number of services. The same announcement advised that funding offers would be issued soon to those who were successful in the recent round of tenders, which provides some much needed clarity for these services. However, it still does not address the core issue of millions of dollars lost in funding for community services.

ACOSS has worked consistently on this issue since the cut was announced in the Federal Budget last year. We recently met with Minister Scott Morrison where we discussed this, particularly our concerns about the lost policy and advocacy through the de-funding of peak bodies; and the loss of services at a time when unmet need for social services remain high in key areas where cuts have been implemented. As we conveyed to members in our recent teleconference, the Minister assured us he was working on the funding uncertainty as a matter of urgency and we welcomed his announcement about transitional funding last week, albeit in the context of continued implementation of a cut we oppose.

At this meeting with the Minister we also discussed our broader social policy agenda including welfare reform, employment, income support and families policy.

Meanwhile ACOSS is continuing to compile the details of de-funding across organisations. If you have lost Government funding and have not yet heard let us know. Please forward information about the cut and its impact on clients and workers to Tessa.Boyd-Caine@acoss.org.au

Read more on the ACOSS website: www.acoss.org.au