Budget repair has captured the headlines of late and DCLS have been active in promoting the important role of human services in the economy. The Australian Government’s Job Outlook identifies Health Care and Social Assistance as the top industry for jobs growth over the next five years. These services deliver sustained productivity gains, foster economic growth, and support social cohesion into the future.
One area we see as making increasing demands on the NT bottom line is the provision of support for those who fall through the net in areas such as aged care, early childhood and now disability. These Commonwealth essential services are now left to the market to deliver, with the consequence that those who don’t live in an area where there is a profit to be made miss out on services and the NT Government is left to pick up the pieces. Money given to individuals to purchase services often goes unspent, because the much-needed services don’t exist. Unspent funding results in reduced allocations for the following year, and the NT suffers again.
DCLS sees the upcoming Royal Commissions on Aged Care and Disability as an opportunity to address the postcode lottery inherent in the current market-based system and consider reforms that would deliver equitable access to these services no matter where you live. We will be advocating strongly for the Commonwealth to ensure that a safety net is provided.
– Linda Weatherhead, Executive Director
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