Page 856 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 22 March 2017
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salary, because that is less than we earn. Let us put it into perspective. This is a very small amount of money to keep some 40 community groups operational, to get the umbrella organisation SHOUT up and running and to make sure that a large portion of the Canberra community have the support and the assistance services that they need in their time of crisis.
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (11.26), in reply: I rise to close the debate but also to speak on what has been raised by our colleagues in the chamber. Both the government and the Greens have stated uncategorically the importance of the work that SHOUT does. But when it comes to crunch time and they have the power to make a decision, they are failing to come to the party. The minister’s reference to the availability of ILC grants and why that has not been pursued, I have to repeat, fundamentally misunderstands the nature of the work that SHOUT does.
The government has gone to great lengths to state that funding has not been withdrawn but has just gone to a different bucket of money. But what good is that bucket of money when SHOUT are not able to drink from it when they are dying of thirst? The minister says that the ACT government wants to work toward a sustainable solution. How sustainable is a solution when by 31 May we have no SHOUT?
This is the same government that called us out as being heartless when we dared to point out the hypocrisy of attempting to advocate for same-sex marriage on the hill and trying to bind us to a vote here. They called us out for being heartless. This is the same government that is now refusing to advocate for what they say is one of their priorities, looking after our vulnerable Canberrans, looking after the people that need it most. Both ministers have stated, and in fact it is actually in the amendment, that the ACT government will continue to work with SHOUT. By the end of May there is no SHOUT, so I do not know whom they are going to continue to work with.
I am going to list all the member groups, because it is important: Bosom Buddies, Motor Neuron Disease Association, Friends of Brain Injured Children, Canberra Region Kidney Support Group, People with Disabilities ACT, Prostate Cancer Support Group, Brain Tumour Alliance, Heart Support-Australia, Parkinson’s ACT, ACT Down Syndrome Association, ACT ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society, ACT Deafness Resource Centre, ACT Muscular Dystrophy Association, Adoptive Families Association of the ACT, ACT Playgroup Association, Allergies and Intolerant Reactions Association, Arthritis ACT and Osteoporosis ACT, Asthma Foundation, Australian Breastfeeding Association, Autism Asperger ACT, Better Hearing Australia Canberra, Canberra After Suicide Support Group, Canberra Lung Life Support Group, Cancer Council ACT, Compassionate Friends ACT, Diabetes ACT, Directions ACT, Epilepsy ACT, Haemophilia Foundation, Hepatitis ACT, Health Care Consumers Association, Mental Health Foundation, Pain Support, Post-Polio Support Group, Royal Society for the Blind, Support Asian Women’s Friendship Association, Sleep Apnoea Association, Solace ACT, SHHH Australia, Thyroid Support Group, TADACT and Tjillari Justice Aboriginal Corporation.
I hope—I sincerely hope—that none of these organisations fold. If they do not, and in a couple of years they are remaining committed to providing the services for
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