“Cruel” and “heartless” are the words most used to describe the impact of last week’s federal budget on the people of Melbourne’s north.
Young people, low-income families and those living in outer urban growth areas will be the hardest hit, the National Growth Areas Alliance [NGAA] has said.
NGAA chairman Paul Pisasale said the extra burdens put on the budgets of families and young people will create more demand for local government assistance.
“But already stretched councils will have less capacity to respond as their funding reduces,” he said. “The cost of living will increase without improving its quality unless there is action to bring jobs closer to home and provide a range of transport options.”
Cr Pisasale said young people will be among the hardest hit. “Our young people are this nation’s future; we should be equipping them with the means to unlock their potential,
not putting hurdles in their way.” The budget came as a slap in the face for many agencies and community services which have invested enormous social capital in Melbourne’s north, an area already bearing the brunt of job losses, the demise of manufacturing and the shifting of a national logistics capacity to bayside Hastings.
“We are horrified by the ramifications of the budget on unemployed young people, particularly the six-month non-payment period,” said Nicky Leitch, partnership broker at Hume Whittlesea Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN).
Ms Leitch said there would be no future funding beyond this year for the joint state and federally funded Partnership Broker and Youth Connections program, which affects Victoria’s 31 LLENs and involves many private sector business partners in schemes that give local people local jobs.
“Currently the LLENs are lobbying state government about what might be lost to local community if we aren’t re-funded,” she said.
