Following extended periods of uncertainty about the future of funding for services across the Family and Relationships Services sector, we received advice yesterday afternoon from the Attorney-General’s Department that the decision had been made by the Attorney-General to extend services within the FRSP program for two further years – through until 30 June 2028. Whilst it had been previously flagged by the Department that this would be likely given the time required to work through the recommendations of the Metcalfe Report and any associated transitional arrangements, it is good to have that advice confirmed. At this stage there has been no commitment from Government to extend the 4-year supplementation payment for community sector organisations announced in the October 2022 Budget. This will mean a reduction in funding for FRSP grants over the two-year extension period.
If you have been reading a newspaper/listening to the news of late – the Albanese Government is squarely focused on improving productivity, including in the social services sector. FRSA was pleased to participate in a roundtable at Parliament House on Tuesday – ‘Working Smarter: A Roundtable on the Role of the Not-For-Profit Sector in Boosting Productivity.’ The Roundtable was led by Ministers’ Andrew Leigh, Tanya Plibersek and Assistant Minister Ged Kearney and brought together social services and philanthropic representatives from across the Country to nut out practical ideas to boost productivity. In fairness to the Government – the messages they are sending are not about expecting our people who are working at 110% to move to 120% (more for less). It is about ‘working smarter’ – about remedying system barriers (eg: reducing red tape) and seeking technological solutions that decrease the administrative workload. It is intended to free up time for social service staff so they can focus more on the educative, therapeutic and support elements of their work. That said – innovation does cost money to implement so we also need to be realistic about that too. Ideas will be taken forward to the Government’s Economic Reform Roundtable later this month. We’ll also build on some of these ideas with FRSA Members at our annual Strategic Leadership Forum later this year. I am delighted to let Members know that registration for the Strategic Leadership Forum is now open (see more below).
On 4 August – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – the Albanese Government announced the appointment of the inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Commissioner, Adjunct Professor Sue-Anne Hunter (see more below). I extend my congratulations and look forward to connecting with Commissioner Hunter in the coming months. Thanks too to the former Acting Commissioner Lil Gordon for her work to date. We were very fortunate to have Lil speak at our Conference. If you weren’t there and would like to revisit what she had to say – her speech is available here.
For the first part of this week I have been out in western NSW – accepting an invitation from CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes to come and spend some time visiting their services and meeting with frontline staff. The insights and experiences shared certainly highlighted the challenges faced by services operating in rural and remote areas of this country as well as the innovation, commitment and dedication needed to achieve outcomes and assist in building better lives for the children, women, men and communities they work with. It was heartbreaking to hear that in the towns I had visited there was literally nowhere to place people in crisis accommodation – especially those escaping family violence. Affordable housing was non-existent. The agency was providing tents and swags to people coming in seeking shelter and I know the experience of CCWF is regrettably relatable in many parts of this country. Homelessness Week, this week, provides a valuable platform to keep the issue at the forefront of the political agenda and advocate for the needs of those needing safe, secure, suitable and sustainable housing across Australia.
