The Liberal Government is committed to supporting local communities and services such as our Neighbourhood and Community Houses.
Today I addressed the Tasmanian Association of Community Houses State Conference in St Helens.
The Tasmanian Association of Community Houses is the peak body for Neighbourhood and Community Houses.
In the recent state budget we provided significant extra funding for these important facilities.
This includes $50,000 additional funding for every Neighbourhood and Community House.
The $50,000 extra funding will be available for each House to spend on projects which suit the local community and individual house needs.
Neighbourhood Houses provide crucial support to some of our most disadvantaged communities.
In the budget there is also capital investment funding of $4 million in 2014-15 to be spent on upgrading and refurbishment of Neighbourhood Houses.
We are also providing $300,000 for mental health outreach services through the Neighbourhood House network, and $100,000 to resource 20 start-up food cooperatives to increase access to low cost, fresh and healthy food by establishing partnerships between Neighbourhood Houses, communities, local food producers and food relief organisations.
Community organisations, including Neighbourhood and Community Houses, perform incredibly important work in Tasmania.
That’s why we have also delivered on our promise to provide an additional $9 million in funding over the next four years for community sector organisations.
We are also committed to supporting community sector organisations to meet their obligations and requirements under the Fair Work Australia Equal Remuneration Order (ERO).
An additional $5.2 million has been included in this year’s budget to support the ERO, which will take the total support for the ERO in 2014-15 to $13.4 million.
Additional ERO Supplementation of $24.2 million is also included in 2017-18, year six of the ERO. The additional supplementation included in this Budget is on top of the $58.3 million included in the 2013-14 Budget for the first five years of the ERO.
Jacquie Petrusma, Minister for Human Services
