Hon Peter Dunne
MP for Ohariu
Leader of UnitedFuture

Dunne: Govt plans to devolve funding for ‘at risk’ families fun good first step

UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne says Government plans to devolve funding to community agencies dealing with at risk families should be just the first step in much greater use of the community and voluntary sector in social services provision.

Mr Dunne is calling for a major shake-up of social services and a return to seeing the community and voluntary sector as the primary provider of social services.

“This should be the way a liberal society cares for its disadvantaged and at risk people and families – not through reliance on often monolithic and impersonal government-provided services.

“We need to return to the old notion of supporting communities caring for themselves,” he said.

Mr Dunne said UnitedFuture wants to see a substantial shift of resources away from government agencies to community-based agencies and services to deal with at risk and disadvantaged groups.

“We are not talking about cutting government funding – rather, we want to ensure government funding is used more effectively, and we know that dollars invested in community organisations achieve a far greater social and economic return, because community organisations are closer to and more in touch with the groups they serve.

“The community and voluntary sector already does a magnificent job in a number of vital areas, but the potential is there for it to do even more, if properly resourced.

“Put simply, we want to see more of the money currently spent by government agencies transferred to community-based groups, where we know it will be spent better,” he says.

Mr Dunne says the major reason UnitedFuture has pushed for the various tax changes he has introduced as Minister of Revenue to boost charitable donations has to been to boost the capability of the community and voluntary sector to take on the wider role he is promoting.

ENDS

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