Page 1543 - Week 05 - Thursday, 7 April 2005
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This MPI certainly highlights the importance of supporting organisations such as Lifeline, both financially and physically, to ensure that they can continue to have a positive effect on our lives. I realise Lifeline is involved in so many excellent programs but, as I think those in the public gallery would know and I think the minister would know, I have a particular affection and affinity with CEAS, the Canberra Emergency Accommodation Service. That has been an excellent joint venture and one that we should perhaps really be focusing our efforts on more and giving more support to. I have been able to refer people so successfully to that organisation with the full confidence of knowing that people do get the support and help they need, so I commend that joint venture to the Assembly.
There is no doubt that the contribution that Lifeline makes to the ACT is vital. It is a shining example of community spirit. We as members should continually be giving elevation in the Legislative Assembly to such organisations, as an example to the wider community that the efforts of volunteers in particular are commendable and indeed can be personally rewarding. So I do thank Ms MacDonald for bringing this forward today. Things like this are worthy of our time and of debate.
Finally, may I personally wish Marie Bennett and her team every success and thank them for bringing hope and comfort to the many people who reach out to them for help in time of need.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (4.00): I am going to abbreviate my prepared speech to some extent because I do think that we are all tending to say much the same things. In order that everyone has an opportunity to speak, I will oblige by abbreviating my speech.
The ACT Greens support the work of Lifeline Canberra and recognise the valuable contribution that it makes with the range of services it provides, as mentioned by Ms MacDonald, Mr Smyth, Mr Hargreaves, Mrs Burke and now me. Lifeline, as we know, is the only 24-hour telephone counselling service, is the primary provider of support to people with gambling problems and has an important role in suicide prevention, emergency accommodation and support for young people.
Lifeline is a very important thread in the fabric of social services in the ACT and in a sense it weaves a lot of disparate services together. I would like to congratulate Lifeline on some recent achievements: the reaccreditation against the Lifeline Australia standards; the success of CEAS, which now has ongoing commonwealth and ACT funding; the success and expansion of the Clubcare program; the successful piloting of a mentoring program for young carers as part of the Lifeline youth network services; and securing a Canberra Community Foundation grant to develop and strengthen relations for service providers and clients from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. We all know that Lifeline Canberra is considerably respected amongst other community organisations. It is widely respected for its professionalism and its capacity to mobilise a large number of volunteers.
I believe that, in recognising the valuable work of Lifeline, the government might consider increasing the resources available to the organisation to increase the capacity of existing services and address current gaps in social services. For instance, I understand that Lifeline’s telephone counselling service has experienced a considerable increase in
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