Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Community Services, Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development, and Minister for the Status of Women. How is the government supporting disadvantaged families, victims of domestic violence and children at risk of abuse and neglect? Why is it important for all levels of government to support these services and what would be the impact of funding cuts to them?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Community Services ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Moreton, because I know that the member for Moreton, like many other members in this place, understands the vital role that community organisations and all levels of governments play in supporting some of the most vulnerable in our community.

Of course, the government is very proud of our record when it comes to supporting families: our Schoolkids Bonus, our increased family payments. We are also doing a lot of work when it comes to vulnerable families, with our $1 billion Family Support Program, $86 million in our National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children and, recently, $400 million in the second three-year action plan on the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children. The government will continue to invest to support our fellow Australians in need. It is really important, because many of these programs require not just one level of government alone acting. We all need to work together—all levels of government and the community sector—on these very important policies.

That is why the cuts in the Newman state budget this week are so alarming. I just want to run through a few. We have cuts to mental health programs, cuts to support for victims of domestic violence, cuts to family planning, cuts to rent support, cuts to women's health services, cuts to Indigenous employment and cuts to the commission for children. We know that the Leader of the Opposition and the Liberals have endorsed this plan and these cuts to vulnerable families in Queensland. Why is that? We know it is because, if they ever get back into government, they would do the same. They would cut services to community organisations, they would sack workers and of course they would do all this to fill their $70 billion black hole. The shadow Treasurer says natural attrition, of course, would take care of their proposed public sector cuts. But we now know in Queensland that natural attrition means sacking 14,000 workers—shame! Can you believe that in community services alone, as the minister for families said, there are $360 million in cuts? Of this, can you believe that $9.6 million is cut from the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian? This is when the Queensland government have just endorsed their second three-year action plan on the National Framework for the Protecting Australia's Children and they are in the middle of a child protection review.

Of course, Campbell's cuts go further: $260 million in what the Newman government is calling lower priority projects and efficiency improvements. Where is the efficiency in cutting domestic violence services? Domestic violence currently costs the Australian economy $13 billion a year, and Queensland's share of that would be $2.5 billion on a per capita basis. This is just ridiculous. We know that Liberal governments right across the country are cutting money away from vulnerable people in our community and of course this government is getting on with the job of supporting them. (Time expired)