Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Page for his question but, more importantly, I thank him for his passionate advocacy on behalf of his local community, particularly Heartfelt House and the other various programs. In this place we are often pleasantly in the position where we are surprised that the parliament can really work. The members and the way we engage with members can produce some very good outcomes.

As we all know, there was the process A New Way Of Working for Grants, which was implemented by my predecessor, which sought to address some difficult funding issues and some cost issues within the portfolio—as the previous budget was being put together—and that again required hard decisions. For the first time we had had a competitive tender process—the largest ever, I think, round of competitive grants that any government had pursued before on these types of grants. That process was conducted with an enormous amount of professionalism and integrity by my department—my predecessor's department at the time—but it was quite apparent to me when I became minister that even the best process, with the best will and the best intent, can lead to some outcomes which are clearly nonsensical when you look at them from a different perspective and a broader community perspective.

We need to respect the fact that our officials need to make decisions based on very clear parameters and very clear guidelines. They do not have the flexibility that I suspect they would like on occasions and particularly on the sorts of occasions where some of the decisions were made in relation to that program . This became very apparent to me when I came into this portfolio and we announced that we would be extending for three months for emergency relief providers and six months for existing front-line community service providers to June 30, while we worked through a very considered process of identifying where critical front-line service gaps had emerged. We did that in partnership and cooperation with the full parliament. It was not just government members; we had representations from other members. I offered in the parliament some months ago for other members to bring matters before us as we worked through those issues. That has been, I think, a very useful and good faith process. As a result of that process, some 100 organisations that had been unsuccessful will now receive funding in excess of $40 million, in this budget, to ensure that they can continue those front-line services.

Of course, I am pleased to be able to say Heartfelt House is one of those, and they are receiving funding for two additional years. But, as I said, there are 100 organisations doing very similar and effective work around our communities, all around the country, who will be getting similar support. The reason they are getting that additional support is that members, like the member for Page, have been able to bring them to the attention of the minister to ensure that the decisions that were arrived at in late December prove not to be the final word for those organisations. It is important, when these situations arise, that we are as flexible as we can be, that we listen as hard as we can and that we seek to address the issues that are there. So 100 organisations will be receiving that ongoing funding for two years, which is in excess of $40 million.

It is not just Heartfelt House that will receive ongoing funding. The following organisations will also receive ongoing funding. Karralika here in the ACT—with support from Senator Seselja and Gai Brodtmann, the member here in Canberra—which runs a program that supports parents and their children through drug and alcohol rehabilitation in the electorate of Canberra. Playability supported playgroups are run in places like Cobargo, Bega and Eden. I commend the member for Eden-Monaro for bringing those to my attention. I commend the member for Lingiari for brining to my attention the crisis accommodation in Gove in the Northern Territory. I commend the member for Hinkler for bringing Phoenix House in Bundaberg, which runs a therapeutic preschool, to my attention. Multiple electorates brought the Mirabel Foundation to my attention. We are very pleased to ensure the continued funding for the Mirabel Foundation, which supports children and families suffering from the impact of drug abuse. I particularly commend the member for Melbourne Ports for bringing that to my attention. I am pleased that some members were prepared to engage in a constructive way on this. I was very pleased to be able to support them and listen to their concerns—

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