Tasmanian not-for-profits fear that government funding cuts could lead to ‘horrendous’ consequences

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The language used in early consultation for next year's budget has sparked fears the Tasmanian government is preparing to cut funding for community service organisations. Not-for-profits say this could lead to horrendous consequences for the sector, which is already struggling to manage surging demand.

Transcript

00:00As the rising cost of living continues to bite Tasmanians, more people than ever are

00:09turning to organisations like Hobart City Mission for help.

00:13In the last two years, the demand for emergency relief has more than doubled and we've been

00:19feeling it, the pressure as an organisation.

00:22The not-for-profit is also fighting a battle of its own, desperately trying to stay afloat

00:28despite dwindling funding.

00:30We've had to unfortunately let some people go this year and we're looking at options

00:34like sign and leaseback of a couple of our properties.

00:36Treasurer Erica Betts will release an interim state budget in November, but consultation

00:42has already begun for his first full budget set for May.

00:47The guidelines for budget submissions for next year's budget call for suggestions on investments

00:53that could be reconsidered, services which could be transitioned out of, and for any

00:58new funding ideas suggesting savings or offsets.

01:03The language is different to previous submission guidelines and that sent alarm bells ringing.

01:09This is a warning shot from Erica Betts in the Treasury portfolio that is sharpening the

01:13pencil for cuts and it should concern all of us.

01:16There is no bigger supporter of the community sector than the Tasmanian Liberal Government.

01:21We have invested more money every single year into the community sector and we value the

01:26work that they do.

01:28With the state more than $5 billion in debt and Treasury warning that's likely to rise

01:33to $13 billion by 2028, the savings drive is not unexpected.

01:39But the community services sector fear cuts could lead to many not-for-profits being pushed

01:44to the brink.

01:45I think it will be horrendous.

01:47Some organisations would be able to pare back programs and provide less support to people

01:52in need.

01:54Some organisations potentially just go out of existence.

01:57The task of budget repair proving difficult in a time of community need.

02:02But that's quite a few.

02:04But still that's kind of a simple plan, the business of planning saying that there was a lot of

02:08benefits that 지금 need to be done.

02:10That's what we do.

02:12We can sell our clients to the publics to the publics to the publics.

02:14We also need to keep it as a chance to sell our clients and Lad 멤� to be on

02:19the publics to the publics to the publics to the publics, and the people that who

02:23love the people that service is, we'll make sure that yeah, we're able to support

02:24that we don't have all of us.

02:26The publics can't do it, it's a petition to pay for the people that we can do there and

02:27the people that we can do.

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