OPINION | Australia’s policy and budget processes favour organisations with government relations staff and dedicated policy teams, leaving others out of the room.
Every day, somewhere in Australia, a charity or not-for-profit turns a family in need away.
Food relief services alone turn away more than 74,000 people a month, unable to keep pace with demand. Homelessness services knock back an average of 353 requests for help every day, with nowhere for them to stay.
Well-meaning organisations turn people away because they have run out of food, run out of beds, or simply run out of hours in the day.
In the current climate, tightly prescribed funding and under-resourcing have become the standard operating environment for the sector.