The NSW Liberal government is planning to put vital community services on the chopping block.
An October 12 article titled “Child sex assault services on hit-list” by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Josephine Tovey said a “leaked departmental briefing note” showed “funding for child sexual assault services and the child protection helpline are on a hit-list as part of cuts of almost half a billion dollars over the next four years to community services in NSW”.
Organisations targeted for cuts include Twenty10, the Liverpool Women’s Resource Centre, Redfern Legal Centre Financial Counseling Services, Welfare Rights Legal Centre, West St Wollongong, Margaret Jurd Learning Centre and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
These organisations play a vital role in assisting women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people, disabled people, and the poor and the marginalised in NSW.
A protest organised by the F Collective condemned the proposed cuts outside NSW Parliament on October 23. The Liverpool Women's Resource Centre says funding is so tight it may have to close its doors by Christmas. The centre provides vital services for women fleeing domestic violence and requiring emergency financial assistance.
For more details about the proposed cuts visit Barry Cuts, Community Bleeds.