Support for community organisations

The Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services, Julie Collins, today announced the Gillard Government would provide $30,000 to support the Communities in Control conference from 30 – 31 May in Melbourne.

The two-day conference, themed ‘Our Changing Communities and Community Organisations: The Takeaway is Hope: Change NOW!’ will involve more than 1500 community sector staff, volunteers and supporters from across the country.

The Gillard Government has supported the conference since 2008 with contributions totaling over $100,000. This investment recognises the enormous contribution community organisations play in supporting Australian families and individuals.

The Communities in Control conference provides workers in the community sector an opportunity to share insights and develop new and innovative ways of working together and with Government.

The community sector helps families and individuals break the cycle of financial crisis by meeting people’s immediate needs and also connecting them with other support services, such as employment services, housing, mental health and family relationship support.

This is one of the many reasons why the Gillard Government provided a $171.9 million funding boost over four years in the 2011-12 Budget for emergency relief and financial counselling, as well as innovative projects, such as low interest loans and matched savings schemes.

Other Budget announcements providing significant support to the community sector include an additional $269.3 million over five years in community mental health services, as part of a $2.2 billion funding package for mental health services across Australia.

This investment is part of a broader commitment by the Gillard Government to continue to support community organisations.

For more information about the conference, visit http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/control/control_main.jsp