Mary Doyle (Aston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's been a busy few weeks in the Aston electorate. I was recently invited to visit Knox InfoLink, in Boronia. This organisation has been servicing the local community for 32 years. They offer a wide range of help to those in need, from emergency food relief to housing support and their weekday community breakfast program. The wonderful people like Penny and Anne at Knox InfoLink run a fantastic breakfast session each weekday to assist those in the community who might be experiencing homelessness or financial stress, and they do a brilliant job of ensuring people in these situations feel welcome and a part of the community.

I was very concerned, however, to hear that Knox City Council have not increased Knox InfoLink's funding in eight years. As it was explained to me, the cost to provide these services has increased and, without this extra funding, they will have to cut staff and also cut a day of the breakfast program, which will have a huge impact on the local community. It is disappointing to hear, also, that Knox City Council have been slowly cutting other services in the area—from no longer providing personal care services under the Commonwealth Home Support Program to, most recently, reducing council run kindergarten programs. The latter decision is leaving families with fewer options for their children's early education, and kinder staff are losing their jobs. I will be raising the community's concerns with the council CEO, the mayor and councillors on the importance of these vital services for our community in the upcoming quarterly meeting.