Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I announced a further $300,000 over two years in federal funding to allow the Warnervale Family and Community Centre to continue its vital work in our community. This is the third time the federal government has thrown the centre a lifeline after the New South Wales government abandoned it yet again. We provided $269,000 in 2004 and a further $94,000 in 2006 when the centre again faced closure. The centre is one service the people of Warnervale cannot afford to lose, which is why I was so pleased to announce the additional funding to keep it open.

I have visited the centre on numerous occasions, most recently when I went to announce this additional funding. It is always great to see firsthand the work they do. I congratulate the staff and volunteers on the fantastic job they do in supporting the Warnervale community. When the Warnervale Family and Community Centre opened in 1999 it was housed in a cottage, where a small group of volunteers worked two days a week. Over the years the centre has continued to expand, reflecting the growth of Warnervale and the surrounding areas. More and more families are making the lifestyle choice to relocate to the Central Coast. The centre now operates five days a week and provides information and referral services, particularly to new residents; provides for playgroups and leisure groups; and offers parenting courses which encourage residents to become actively involved in our community. The centre also gives Warnervale residents the opportunity to come together as a community to participate in local events.

The Warnervale Family and Community Centre is one of two programs in Dobell to receive funding in the special round of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy and the Local Answers initiative. The parenting and family support program in Wyong Shire also received $80,000 over two years to hold workshops and individual meetings with parents to improve parenting and communication skills and provide information on issues like nutrition and discipline. The funding will also provide additional crisis support through phone and hotline counselling services. Around 2½ thousand parents in Wyong shire are set to benefit from this program. It is the strong economic management of the Howard government and our belief that, at the local level, community organisations are well suited to devising local solutions to local problems that has led to the successful announcement which will continue to improve the wellbeing of families on the Central Coast.

There is one final comment I would like to make in relation to the Warnervale community centre and it relates to the New South Wales Labor government’s complete lack of interest in the centre and the needs of the Warnervale community. They provided the initial funding but since then they have walked away from this centre on a number of occasions—in fact, for the last five years. While I am happy to support the centre’s ongoing work in Warnervale, the New South Wales government have been shifting the blame and responsibility for local issues onto the federal government for far too long. The rapidly growing area of Warnervale is lacking in infrastructure thanks to a state government that are out of touch with the needs of the region. Yet again the state government see no problem with ignoring their obligation to fund this one piece of vital infrastructure in the area, just like they turned a blind eye to Tumbi Creek. (Time expired)