Member for Isaacs, Mark Dreyfus and Member for Bruce Julian Hill have condemned the Turnbull Government for abandoning young people in Greater Dandenong.
The Hon Mark Dreyfus QC MP
Shadow Attorney General
Shadow Minister for National Security
Federal Member for Isaacs
Julian Hill MP
Federal Member for Bruce
TURNBULL ABANDONS YOUNG PEOPLE IN GREATER DANDENONG
Member for Isaacs, Mark Dreyfus and Member for Bruce Julian Hill have condemned the Turnbull Government for abandoning young people in Greater Dandenong.
The two Labor MPs today met with staff from the Young Peoples Legal Rights Centre (YouthLaw) outreach service in Dandenong.
For the past two years Youthlaw has provided an outreach service in partnership with Headspace in Dandenong to assist vulnerable young people with their legal problems.
Funding cuts by the Turnbull Government to YouthLaw will mean that the Greater Dandenong service will close in July 2017 and young Greater Dandenong residents will have to go to the City to access youth-focussed legal advice.
Over the past two years 1,768 young people across Victoria have been assisted by YouthLaws outreach program.
From July 1, YouthLaws Commonwealth funding will be slashed from $151,000 to just $84,000 per annum, a cut of approximately 45 per cent of its Commonwealth funding, forcing the closure of nine outreach services across Victoria.
This cut comes at the same time as the Turnbull Government pushes through a $24 billion tax cut for big business.
The Turnbull Governments 30 per cent funding cut to Community Legal Centres has devastated communities around Australia. The closure of this YouthLaw outreach service because of Turnbulls cuts will see young people in Greater Dandenong worse off, Mr Dreyfus said.
It is an indication of the Liberals utter disdain for the Greater Dandenong community that it would allow this essential service to close.
Greater Dandenong is a diverse and dynamic community with many young people who deserve the same support as kids closer to the City. This cut shows where the Turnbull governments priorities are, and its not Greater Dandenong, Mr Hill said.
Instead of pandering to the big end of town, I call on the Turnbull Government to do the right thing and start working for everyday Australians, including by restoring funding to YouthLaw to allow it to continue its outreach service at the Dandenong Headspace.
WEDNESDAY 12 APRIL 2017
