Page 2809 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 6 October 2021
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They introduced the ACT Targeted Assistance Strategy in 2011 and it has not been updated or reviewed appropriately since. The strategy is designed to ensure that those who are vulnerable and in need receive the support that they need to reach their full potential. Canberra should be a socially inclusive, fair and equitable community. However, the facts outlined above indicate that we have a long way to go before we live up to that vision.
A review of the strategy should cover the purpose, adequacy, fairness and impacts of the strategy so that Canberrans can be sure that their taxpayer dollars are going to those who need it most and those who need it most are getting the support that they need. I note that Mr Braddock has a similar motion on the notice paper for tomorrow, so I look forward to receiving the Greens support for this motion.
Before I conclude, I personally acknowledge the incredible contribution the community sector has made on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak, supporting so many Canberrans in need. The Canberra Liberals welcome the government’s long overdue funding boost to this critically important sector, but as is always the case, of course, we will need to delve into the detail to ensure that that boost is genuinely that, a boost, and not old money rehashed and repackaged.
Our community sector organisations have seen an enormous increase in demand for assistance during the current COVID-19 outbreak. This much-needed funding will support the sector that has been trying to do much more with too little for too long. Whilst the additional funding will go some way to ensuring the sustainability of the sector, more needs to be done. That is why I bring my motion to the Assembly today. Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend my motion to the Assembly.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Education and Youth Affairs, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (4.02): I move:
Omit all text after “notes” (first occurring), substitute:
“(a) Canberrans enjoy, overall, a high standard of living, with access to free high-quality healthcare, free quality public education, and well planned and delivered infrastructure;
(b) the ACT unemployment rate remains one of the lowest rates in Australia;
(c) the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a growth in inequality around the world, and Australia and the ACT have not been immune to this global trend; and
(d) the Commonwealth Government’s refusal to reinstate the JobSeeker scheme in 2021, and its insistence on imminently halting COVID-specific support payments despite an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the ACT, have and will hurt many Canberrans reliant on them to cover essential living costs;
(2) also notes that, over the past year, the ACT Government has focussed on:
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