2018-02-28
CRC funding cuts unfair to workers and communities
Media release 28 February 2018
Projected funding cuts to the state’s 105 Community Resource Centres would be disastrous for both the workers in the CRCs and the communities they service, Greens’ Regional Development spokesperson Diane Evers MLC said.
The state government has signalled it will cut CRC funding for 2019/20 by 40%, a cut of $6 million that will make it almost impossible for CRCs to continue delivering their current level of service to rural and regional communities.
“I have grave concerns for the impact on WA’s rural and regional communities and predict that some of our most vulnerable community members will suffer in ways that I’d hope a Labor government would not countenance,” Diane Evers MLC said.
“Staff in CRCs have in the past predominantly been underpaid women, but in recent years they have been put onto a federal award wage and equal remuneration order that saw them being paid a fair and reasonable wage for their efforts.
“This funding cut means those staff will either have their hours slashed or jobs removed altogether, and as a result the services CRCs offer to their communities will be radically reduced.”
“It is grossly unfair that community workers should have their working conditions lifted only to then have funding stripped from their sector so they can no longer be employed.”
Ms Evers said CRCs had a crucial role to play in their communities, providing a range of services which could not simply be replaced by an app on a smartphone, as Premier Mark McGowan indicated was the case.
“These centres provide everything from medical appointments, computer clubs for children and seniors, emergency relief, IT access, and assistance with accessing online government services. Beyond that, these centres are important social hubs where the isolation and challenges of life outside a city centre can be faced together.”
Ms Evers said digital disadvantage was a significant problem for rural and regional people, and there was a real risk without assistance from CRCs some community members would be left behind.
“With more and more government services going online, if people are not digitally literate – or even able to access the internet – then they will fall further behind and struggle to participate in society as they need to. CRCs are a line of defence in our country communities against creeping digital disadvantage and the fallout that inevitably follows.”