Councils join funding fight

By Tania Martin
THE neighbouring shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges are two of eight councils which have joined forces with the Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS) to lobby the State Government for an increase in funding for social services.
Announcing its intentions last week, the municipalities, known as the Interface Council, said they would be lobbying the Government to help boost social services in Melbourne’s outer east.
Mayors from the Interface Councils of Cardinia, Yarra Ranges, Wyndham, Whittlesea, Melton, Nillumbik and Mornington Peninsula have raised concerns that residents living in Melbourne’s outskirts face the threat of serious and mounting social problems because of a lack of locally accessible services.
Victorian human services such as family support, mental health, and domestic violence services are currently located in inner and middle suburbs making it difficult for many people to access.
Over the next three years, the Interface Councils say they need $32 million to assist 16,000 families through more locally bases social services in Melbourne’s outer fringe areas.
Shire of Yarra Ranges director of social and economic development Alison Cran said all the councils involved with Interface are working together to quantify social issues facing residents across all eight municipalities.
She said the partnership forged between VCOSS and the Interface Council aimed to bring the issues regarding the restricted access to social services to the State Government’s attention and to gain further funding.
Ms Cran said one of the areas that the shire had outlined as high risk was the Yarra Junction corridor.
She said there were many areas across the shire including Yarra Junction that were disadvantage by having to travel to access permanent outreach services.
“Residents have to travel a long way to a metropolitan centre for access to family and children’s services,” she said.
Ms Cran said mayors from all the councils involved attended a launch to announce the Interface Council and VCOSS’s intentions.
She said this sent a unified message that it was time for the State Government to take a look at this serious problem and implement some funding and service solutions for the eight municipalities.