Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this very important motion put forward by the member for Gippsland about the Stronger Communities Program. I think it's fair to say, certainly in my electorate, that there was no grant round more anticipated and more appreciated by my community than the Stronger Communities Program. Even though it was small and even though it was only $150,000 every year to every electorate, the good that that did in my community was profound. And I've got to say I think it's the most mean-spirited decision of government to cease this program.

In the last round, round 8, 20 projects were funded in Mayo. We had 65 applications, worth more than $800,000. The projects that were successful were things such as a storage shed for the Hills Archers. The Cudlee Creek Tennis Club—and many people in this community would remember that the region of Cudlee Creek was the epicentre of the fires in my community in that summer of 2019-20—received funding for solar panel installation to help with their resilience. The Gumeracha Community Association purchased a community trailer. The Hope Forest Residents Association upgraded their community hall. The Torrens Valley Community Kindergym got just a little bit of funds to help with some mats for the kids. Down at the Cape Jervis rec and sport club, there was funding for kitchen and hall facility upgrades. There was funding for the Hahndorf Town Band, for trailer upgrades; the Strath Neighbourhood Centre, for IT facilities; and Encounter Centre, for the construction of a storage shed. The Lobethal Archives and Historical Museum received $5,000 to assist with their museum and chapel restoration and repairs.

I think what's incredibly frustrating is that we have seen projects year on year in my community—over the time that I've been the member, we've had six rounds—and we've had over 400 expressions of interest, so no-one can deny that this is a program that is wanted desperately in our community. We've funded 114 different projects—small projects. And the great challenge is that this program was more valued in regional Australia because our councils don't own our ovals and don't own our sporting clubs; they don't manage them and they don't fund them. So we fundraise constantly just to cover insurance, which has gone up exponentially over those years. And so to take away this small grant program that allowed organisations in my community that are run by volunteers and managed entirely by our community—and for us to not have a small bucket of money that could be equitably distributed to fund necessary upgrades and equipment—is just appalling, really. I just can't understand the short-sightedness of the government in doing this.

We don't have big councils with deep pockets that fund all of this. We don't just call some project manager and say: 'Come and fix this. This is not working.' We fundraise and fundraise, we cover the costs ourselves and we are self-reliant. And so not to have the funds, not to be able to upgrade small things—the Milang and District Community Association received $5,000 to install a split-system air conditioner in their youth space. These are little things. We're barely covering the cost of fundraising for our insurance and just maintaining our halls and our parks. To not be able to have this round of money really hurts regions. It really hurts regional Australia.

Despite it going to every electorate, it was desperately needed in my community, and just those small little things made the world of difference. It could have helped down at the Aldinga Bay Surf Life Saving Club, helping them get some surfboards for young people who can't afford them, to be able to have that kind of program happening. It could have helped the Hahndorf Academy Foundation fit out their community arts and culture space. It could have helped out at Wistow with their community hall—and let's not forget, our community halls are also, in most cases, the place of last resort, the refuge for our communities, especially for our communities at risk of bushfires.

And so, I would urge the minister: Minister, do the right thing, and fund this. In fact, do it better. Fund it more than $150,000 per electorate, because over the years that $150,000 can't buy what it used to buy. Truely, I am appalled. It is the most mean-spirited decision that I have seen from this government in 18 months. Thank you.

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