The Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) is disappointed in the lack of targeted and essential cost of living measures provided in the State Government’s mid-year budget review.
WACOSS welcomes the $400 million Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund to shore up future housing supply in WA.
Last week’s $1.5 million charitable donation to charity-run Christmas appeals was a nice, modest uptick, as was the $3.5 million payment to foster carers and grandparent carers.
WACOSS was also pleased to see a $1.4 million allocation for financial counsellors in today’s mid-year review, which will address existing underfunding in these services, but with demand surging in this space it is clear that more funding will be required.
We have appealed to the State Government for a similar approach for other services currently experiencing underfunding due to delayed commissioning.
For years, the community services sector has been told that the real cost to deliver services would be resolved when services were recommissioned under the State Government’s commissioning plan.
For various reasons, there have been delays in rolling out these reforms.
A $3.1 billion surplus, combined with a positive outlook on the State’s economy, should have been enough to deliver sorely needed cost of living measures to those households doing it toughest.
WACOSS Chief Executive Officer Louise Giolitto said:
“At a time when more Western Australians are falling into financial hardship and seeing their standard of living deteriorate, the State Government needs to be delivering meaningful, targeted cost of living relief measures.
“It’s hard to celebrate a $3.1 billion surplus when WA families are struggling to put food on the table.
“Many of the $70 million in additional cost of living measures to-date unfortunately fall short of what is needed for struggling WA families, and it is unfair to consider measures such as free zoo visits and museum trips as ‘cost of living relief’, when families return home to empty pantries.
“Given the circumstances, this is clearly a missed opportunity to announce a much-needed funding package targeted to deliver financial relief for those doing it toughest. Especially at this time of the year.
“It’s time to put the people of WA first and offer financial relief to all struggling households. The series of short-term sugar hits that have been delivered can only go so far.
“We need long-term genuine solutions, with fairer and better targeting.
“WA is a great State, let’s make it a fairer one too.”
