Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I sent an urgent email to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Jenny Macklin. I had this to say:

Dear Minister:

I refer to correspondence that was personally handed to you in the chamber on 2 June 2008 regarding the unforseen financial crisis that is threatening the completion of the building of a community services centre in Moss Vale, NSW.

As you are well aware from the contents of my correspondence this project is near completion and because of these unforseen circumstances, has a shortfall in funding. The amount needed to complete this $1.5 million project is in the vicinity of $80000 (GST incl). The amount may actually be a bit less now, as the community of the Southern Highlands has been frantically trying to raise the funds to complete the project by the proposed opening date of 30 June 2008. It is imperative that the shortfall be met to provide this most needed community facility.

For the final instalment from DOTARS to be received, the final inspection certificate from the local council must be produced. This certificate will not be issued until all the necessary finishing work is completed. For the finishing work to be completed, builders’ invoices need to be paid. So, as you can see there is a catch 22 situation looming here. I respectfully request that your urgent attention be given to my correspondence and I would also respectfully request that you consider a one-off grant from your Department.

In closing, can I perhaps suggest that you discuss the issue with your parliamentary colleague the Hon. Anthony Albanese, the Minister responsible for DOTARS in an attempt to assist this worthwhile Community project to come to fruition.

Failure of your Government to understand that it is virtually impossible for this community to raise the $80000 in the restricted time frame, compounded by the Regional Partnerships requirements, could result in this worthwhile project becoming a white elephant as a result of unforseen circumstances, and a heartless Government’s failure to assist this community of 42500 people to open this much needed community asset.

I look forward to hearing from you today.

I will read into the record the background of the organisation:

The Wingecarribee Community Services Centre Inc (WCSC) was incorporated in November 2004. It grew out of a partnership that began 2 years earlier between the Rotary Club of Moss Vale, Wingecarribee Food Services (Meals on Wheels), Wingecarribee Adult Day Care Centres, Wingecarribee Shire Council and the Dementia Advisory Service of Alzheimer’s Australia. The mission of WCSC is to—

Contribute to the well being of aged and disabled shire residents and their carers by providing them with support services that will enable them to make life choices that preserve and enhance the quality of their lives.

WCSC Inc is a not-for-profit incorporated association and a registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient Status. It has a management committee made up of representatives of the original partners plus Wingecarribee Shire Council and Volunteering Wingecarribee.

Over many years, through local public subscription, this group of people raised $676,647, and the Australian government’s Regional Partnerships program contributed $656,975. Those figures comfortably covered the cost of the plan and subsequent construction contract. The problem was that when construction commenced, after a prudent geotechnical investigation of the site, they encountered an old well in the centre of the site that had been filled over many years with rubbish. That resulted in their construction costs blowing out to $1.4956 million, leaving the community group to find an extra $170,000. They received $85,000 from the local council. They are now trying to raise the rest of the money. If they do not raise it by 30 June 2008, under the contract by which they received the money from Regional Partnerships, this magnificent building will shut and nobody will be allowed into it because they will not be able to pay the builder and have the keys handed over to them. I implore the government and the two ministers involved in this process to stop being heartless and make some grant money available, to the tune of $80,000, so that this much needed community service building can be supplied to the community who have worked their insides out over the last six or eight years to raise the funds to get this building up and running.