Open Letter to the Treasury regarding the 2006 Federal Budget
9 December 2005
The Treasury
Langton Crescent
Parkes ACT 2600
Please find below a submission for the Federal Budget 2006.
The Anglican Counselling Service (ACS) identifies opportunities for the
Australian Government to invest in individuals, families and communities in
regional, rural and remote areas through FRSP in order to increase the
programmes accessibility and effectiveness.
ACS calls of the Australian Government in the 2006 Federal Budget to:
- Support the Family Services Australia (FSA) submission to the 2006
Federal Budget here attached.
- Address the gaps of service delivery in regional, rural and remote
areas and in particular the increasing complexity of mental health issues
that ACS is addressing.
- Address the funding inequity to ACS for Family Relationship
Counselling under FRSP and fund to the evidenced need.
- Secure the viability of FRSP in regional, rural and remote areas
with an appropriate costing methodology.
About us:
The Anglican Counselling Service (ACS) was established by the Anglican
Diocese of Armidale in 1986 under the leadership of Miss Lois Reid. Since that
date, ACS has been providing personal, family and marriage counselling,
pre-marriage and post-marriage education, life skills education, professional
supervision and counsellor training in the regional, rural and remote areas of
the New England and North West of NSW in accordance with its Ordinance or
Constitution. ACS covers an area in excess of 100 000sq kms. ACS operates from
Tamworth (also administration centre), Walcha, Uralla, Armidale, Glen Innes,
Inverell, North Star, Moree, Narrabri, Gunnedah and Baradine with 23 paid and 7
volunteer staff.
Opportunities:
- Support the FSA 2006 Federal Budget Submission
The FSA Submission is a carefully considered submission drawing on the
expertise and experience of the family relationship and related family
services sector who are highly committed to providing positive outcomes for
children, families and communities.
- Address the gaps of service delivery in regional, rural and remote
areas.
Recently ACS gave a couple a voucher for petrol for their car to help
them attend a family relationship counselling session 100 km from their
home.
There are many rural communities in the New England and North-West who are
unable to access counselling services due to the cost of travel and distance,
low incomes and a lack of family relationship and mental health services.
Counselling practitioners visiting smaller rural communities regularly will
increase accessibility to family relationship counselling services, especially
for those people who can least afford it.
Family Services under FRSP that are inadequately funded or non-existent in
the New England and North-West of NSW are Family Relationship Counselling,
Children’s Contact Services and Men & Family Relationship Services.
ACS calls on the Australian Government to establish a consultancy
group from regional, rural and remote areas to identify gaps and advise
Government on how best to meet the need.
- Address the funding inequity to ACS for Family Relationship Counselling
under FRSP and fund to the need as demonstrated by evidence from FaCSLink,
FaCS’ own statistical recording database.
In 2004/5, ACS experienced a 9% increase in clients seeking help. In total,
ACS helped 1 026 clients through Family Relationship Counselling with
increasing complexity of mental health issues being presented including
personality disorders, addictive disorders, depression, psychotic depression
and suicidality.
The recurrent funding allocation to ACS in 2004/5 for Family Relationship
Counselling under FRSP was $103/client for a target 650 clients. Yet ACS
received for Drought Counselling, $348/client for a target of 333 clients.
Regional, rural and remote areas incur higher costs related to distance and
transport, telecommunication and technology, recruitment and wages, safety and
security, professional development, community development needs and the lower
capacity to generate income where the household income of rural households is
1/3 less than metropolitan incomes.
In 2004/5, 90.4% of ACS clients were on incomes less than the national
average income of $1008/week (ABS, September 2005). Further, 54% of ACS
clients were on incomes of $299/week or less.
ACS calls on the Australian Government to allocate $300/client for a
total of 1 000 clients for Family Relationship Counselling under FRSP in its
recurrent funding commitment to ACS and commit to further examining costs and
needs in the next funding cycle.
- Secure the viability of FRSP in regional, rural and remote areas with
an appropriate costing methodology.
FaCS undertook a Costing Methodology Review as a part of the FRSP Review in
2004/5. The sector is still waiting for the results of their review. Issues
that need to be considered in the establishment of a costing methodology for
regional, rural and remote areas are transport and distance,
telecommunications and technology, recruitment and wages, safety and security,
professional development, appropriate infrastructure, community development
costs and the lower household income of people serviced.
ACS calls on the Australian Government to establish an FRSP Costing
Methodology with ongoing consultation with the sector in regional, rural and
remote areas to ensure the ongoing viability and sustainability of FRSP
services.
For further information please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Rev Brian Kirk
Executive Director
Anglican Counselling Service
cc: Costello, Howard, Anderson, Windsor, MacDonald, Patterson, Ruddock, Ley,
Plibersek, Evans, Lundy, FSA, Anglicare, ACS Board
For More Information Contact:
Anglican Counselling Service (Diocese of Armidale)
PO Box 3052 Tamworth 2340
Tel: (02) 6762 4380
FAX: (02) 6762 5740
Internet:
acsdarm@acsdarm.org.au
Authorised:
Rev Brian Kirk, Executive Director
8 August, 2006
Phone contact: (02) 6762 4380
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