Peel Community Legal Service Response to the 2011/12 State Budget

The WA State Government recently announced the 2011/2012 State Budget which included some significant changes which will impact on the community service sector and the members of the community that access these services.

The positives of the State Budget are that it will provide extra funding to not for profit organisations such as PCLS, which means greater capacity to deliver much needed to services to the community. Other benefits are that there will be more funds for the Hardships Utilities Grants Scheme (HUGS) and more public housing for clients of Disability Services, Mental Health Commission or Drug and Alcohol Office.

This additional funding will undoubtedly provide some benefit to the community however we believe there are still areas that require additional support. The State Budget failed to provide additional funding to permit effective outreach for Community Legal Services in the regions, which is a key priority of PCLS. Again we have also seen a huge increase in the cost of utilities, which will most affect those members of the community already struggling with meeting day-to-day living costs and will result in more people having to access HUGS. To compound this issue there has been no further allocation for additional crisis housing for families in the Peel region and no extra public housing for families who can’t afford the cost of private rentals.

Overall the State Budget still poses some key questions for people living in the Peel region, namely how are people who cannot afford private rental going to find a place to live and will the extra funding allow PCLS to keep up with the growing demand?

To view the State Budget click here