The City of Whittlesea is one of 45 state and federal organisations that have united under the umbrella organisation Whittlesea Community Futures (WCF) to fight for a better deal for Whittlesea and the outer north.
WCF has launched Families on the Edge, a campaign aimed at making politicians more accountable to voters.
WCF advocacy chairman Max Lee said residents in Melbourne’s outer suburbs did not have access to the same resources or infrastructure as in the inner suburbs, and we were now seeing the social impacts.
“There has been a significant rise in the number of family violence cases, mental health issues, youth unemployment and homelessness as most of Melbourne’s medical and health services are located close to Melbourne’s CBD,” Mr Lee said.
“Tremendous pressure is on existing community service organisations and a tipping point has been reached, with families on the edge.
“The reality is that if we don’t get the services and infrastructure we need, these social issues are only going to get worse.”
Mr Lee said the agencies would be sending a very clear message to state politicians and candidates that the Whittlesea community was no longer prepared to accept funding and service shortfalls.
He stressed the Families on the Edge campaign would only be effective with community involvement.
Star Weekly proudly supports the Families on the Edge campaign.
HOW TO HELP
There are three simple things community members can do to tell the government that people want a fairer deal:
■ Sign the Fairer Funding petition at www.fairerfunding.com.au
■ Share stories of how a lack of services impacts on you through video and photos on the Fairer Funding Facebook page.
■ Keep up to date with the campaign on Twitter by following @fairerfunding.
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