HOW BIG IS legal help centre YOUR FOOT? HARD TO FIND SHOES THAT FIT? Services strained: Peninsula Community Legal Centre CEO Jackie Galloway says funding cuts will see people desperate for legal help turned away. Picture: Gary Sissons
vided legal advice to 7966 cash-strapped or vulnerable clients since opening 40 years ago, but fears for its future and is pleading for the government to reverse its decision and restore the funding.
The government announced last year it would slash funding by millions from 1 July to make up for budget shortfalls. The cuts, expected to be sustained through to 2019–20, will see community legal centres receive $31 million from estimated total federal government spending of $511.61 billion. Another online petition by the Law Council of Australia also calls for the government to maintain the funding so that community legal centres can provide essential legal advice and representation to Australia’s most vulnerable people. President Fiona McLeod said the crisis in legal assistance funding had grown worse over two decades, but that the planned cuts to take effect would be particularly disastrous. Ms Galloway said the Frankston service would be forced to turn people away if the cuts went ahead. “The people that seek our help every week are most often suffering as a result of some sort of family dispute, and we see that domestic violence has ramifications that can affect housing, education, mental and physical health, and even debt levels. “Our clients needs help with a range of issues and without being able to access free assistance, thousands of people would suffer.” Federal Liberal Attorney General George Brandis has previously told The Times the proposed cuts were the fault of the former Labor government, which had allocated the funding and set the expiry date of 30 June 2017. Senator Brandis said the government is negotiating an $18.5 million agreement for legal aid commissions in each state and territory to establish family advocacy and support services in family law court registries, under a “third action plan” to relieve pressure across the legal assistance sector and help people affected by domestic violence.
Fear funding change may hit homeless Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au HOMELESSNESS could get a lot worse if Treasurer Scott Morrison “tampers” with any of the $1.3 billion of federal funding that keeps public and community housing afloat, according to Council to Homeless Persons CEO Jenny Smith. Ms Smith made the prediction after Department of Human Services data revealed rental affordability in Frankston had hit historic lows. “The National Affordability Agreement on Housing resources are very busy housing more than 80,000 of Victoria’s lowest income households in public and community housing,” she said. “They also provide two-thirds of our homelessness support services which support more over 100,000 Victorians each year. “Our concern is that this already very busy funding will be redirected to other programs, like home ownership subsidies. “Redirecting this money would threaten the security of those public and community housing tenancies, creating the prospect of a tsunami of homelessness in Victoria.” December quarter figures show private rental affordability is on a steady decline in Frankston as the housing affordability ‘crisis’ creeps to the outer suburbs. “Housing affordability is finally getting the spotlight on the political stage, and now we need the federal government to step up and release a national plan outlining how it will tackle the housing affordability and homelessness crisis,” Ms Smith said. “We want to see a range of measures that help people on low incomes to keep a roof over their head, but, critically, we want to see federal funding for public housing maintained and increased.” “The [$1.3 million] keeps homelessness at bay
The search is over! Discover the
LARGER SIZE
footwear for men and women at Bayside Shoes. Ladies footwear sizes 11 to 15 available. Large range of ladies sandals. Men footwear to size 15. Large size quality brands in a range of colours and styles.
Call in to see larger sizes available. Your feet will thank you!
BAYSIDE SHOES PH 9785 1887 FREE Parking
103 Railway Parade, SEAFORD (cnr Clovelly Pde)
www.baysideshoewarehouse.com.au email: baysideshoewarehouse@gmail.com
FRANKSTON HIGH SCHOOL
2018 Enrolment Information and School Tours A learning culture that money cannot buy
Frankston High School has an outstanding reputation as a high performing school, particularly in the areas of academic achievement, music and sport. Prospective parents are encouraged to attend an information session and tour of the school on the following dates: Scott Morrison
for 64,000 public housing households who can’t afford private rental and it also funds most of our homelessness services,” she said. “Increasing supply is only a small part of the answer to improving affordability; we must also ensure that some of that new supply is targeted at low-income earners. “People think that if you move to a regional area, that you’ll be able to find cheaper rent. But as the housing crisis has taken hold, people on low incomes have fewer places they can afford to live.”
• Wednesday 19 April • Thursday 20 April • Monday 24 April • Friday 28 April • Tuesday 2 May
All tours to start at 9.15am For parents unable to attend through the day, an information evening will be held on Wednesday, 3 May at 7.00pm. As places are limited, bookings are required. Please book via our website at www.fhs.vic.edu.au or phone the office on 9783 7955.
Foot Street, Frankston Frankston Times 27 March 2017
PAGE 7