Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, along with my friend and colleague the member for McEwen, I met with social service providers in the city of Whittlesea, a municipality we both represent in this place, who came together as the Whittlesea Community Futures Partnership. We were keen to better appreciate the pressures these organisations and their clients—our constituents—are under, the demands they are facing, what is driving these demands and what we can do to help them help others. The suburbs which comprise the city of Whittlesea face some particular challenges. We have very high population growth; an increasing complexity of needs; insufficient infrastructure, creating issues of access to services and employment opportunities; increasing diversity of community population groups; and a clear lack of funding and resources. We understand that the gap between the supply of and demand for services is only getting larger.

The high level of cooperation among these local human services providers is indeed heartening, but what we heard from all of them was challenging and a clear condemnation of the record of this government in managing the economy; supporting jobs in our area as we prepare for the consequences of the looming automotive shutdown; investing in and supporting people into work; and supporting people to get through challenges in their lives—in particular, in our area, dealing with the tragic epidemic that is domestic violence. All of these service providers have been adversely affected by the Turnbull government's cuts. They specifically spoke of concerns around access to justice and legal services in Whittlesea and the impact these cuts have had on support for gender equality, settlement services and services dealing with family violence.

A particular concern raised relates to the humanitarian intake of Syrian migrants, many of whom should be welcomed into the Whittlesea community. I was greatly appreciative when former Prime Minister Abbott announced that Australia would be taking 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees, on top of our existing humanitarian intake, but, like so much with this government, as of now the words have not been matched with action. Six months on, only 26 refugees have been resettled, and only in Melbourne's north. Those working on the ground in settlement services were preparing in December to support arrivals. In March, we know no more about when these people might come to be welcomed. When we do receive these people they will need help and certainty. This is very difficult when the community sector continues to face uncertainty and inadequate funding. These are complex issues and the frontline services will be unable to cope with the demand without certainty.

This government is also taking money from community legal services, women's services and vital projects, such as the former Youth Connections. Services are running beyond their funded capacity, and this government's agenda of cuts means that more people will fall to the fringes and be unable to access the services they need to support them in times of crisis. It is one thing to read the statistics that we are provided with; it is another to hear the testimony of those trying to do this vital work in supporting vulnerable people.

I say thank you to Thiyagerajah Abarajitha, the project officer at Whittlesea Community Futures, Max Lee from Hume Whittlesea Primary Care Partnership, Patrick O'Neill from The Brotherhood, Deb Fewster from Melbourne City Mission, Carmen Thayless from the Salvation Army, John Fry from the Hume and Whittlesea LLEN, Phillip Bain from Plenty Valley Community Health and Jemal Ahmet and Peta Fualau from Whittlesea Community Connections. I would say to you that the important work you do in the Scullin and McEwen electorates does not go unrecognised. I will continue to fight for you and the people you support in this place. But I also say today that there is an alternative to the present government's approach.

I acknowledge that last night the member for Jagajaga, the shadow minister for families, presented Growing Together—Labor's response to inequality, which is at the centre of this policy debate. Growing Together outlines a fairer vision for a future Australia—one in which we will reach full employment and in which every child is given equal opportunity; where families are given more equitable support; and those who need a helping hand receive it. The report tells us that inequality is at a 75-year high in Australia; it tells us that 2.5 million Australians today live below the poverty line and hundreds of thousands of Australians are without work. The average wealth of a household in the top 20 per cent wealth group is now 70 times the average wealth of a household in the bottom 20 per cent. We must address these issues now.

The release of Growing Together continues Labor's trend of leading this policy debate in Australia from opposition. It has been decades since an opposition put forward so much policy so far before an election. We are not repeating the coalition's mistakes of policy by slogan; we are providing the real vision for the future that this country needs at this vital juncture. This year Australians in the city of Whittlesea and around the country will have a stark choice between a party with vision—a party tackling the big issues of inequality in a fairer Australia—or a party built on slogans which is heedless of community need.