Budget brings hope, more needed: Kell

Russell Powell | 14 May 2008

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Anglicare Sydney CEO Peter Kell has described this week’s Federal Budget as providing important first steps towards fulfilling the Government’s social inclusion agenda.

Mr Kell says the increased funding for the aged care sector, funding to ease access to affordable housing, one-off payments to carers, and a new employment services model are welcome.

Other welcomed initiatives include changes to the system of temporary protection visas for refugees and the increase of places allocated under the humanitarian migration program.

Mr Kell says, however, the Rudd Government’s first Budget could have gone further in providing more investment in ongoing care and support structures for the vulnerable members of our community.

“I’m sure the tax cuts and child care rebates would be welcomed by low income families with jobs, but we would also like to have seen greater investment that addressed disadvantage,” said Mr Kell.

“In the area of housing and rental affordability, the respective funds to help ease the housing affordability crisis are a welcomed step in easing the burden on many of the low income families we help. However, we were disappointed that there was neither mention of greater funding for casework programs nor more investment in crisis accommodation for those at risk of homelessness,” he said.

Anglicare is the urban mission and community care arm of the Sydney Diocese and provides vital help in many of the areas addressed by the budget.

While welcoming the aged and disability subsidies, the Anglicare CEO also says more is needed.

“We were pleased with the number of people eligible for such payment increase to 19,000, but there was no mention of more capital funding for housing people with a disability, nor were there mentions of greater ongoing community support for these people,” Mr Kell says.

Welcoming the contribution to the aged including the increase of Conditional Adjusted Payment to 8.75 per cent over the next four years, Peter Kell said “What we would also like to see is a reform of the residential aged care funding especially the inclusion of real cost indexation in the next few years.”

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