Greenfields Family and Community Centre manager Jenni Rubery said 32 community groups and the 350 volunteers who regularly use the centre could find themselves without a roof if the McGowan Government’s changes to funding for neighbourhood centres goes ahead.
Until now, neighbourhood centres across Western Australia such as the Greenfields Family and Community Centre received funding from the state government to cover rent and service operating costs.
However, a new model proposed by the state government means the services would be put out to competitive tender for the first time in more than 20 years.
“What the government is saying is ‘we are testing for value for money’,” Ms Rubery said.
“How do you place a value on being entrenched in the community for 27 years?
“It makes you think that they want to knock out all the small groups and only have big players.”
She said the tender process would put the Greenfields Community Centre in a disadvantaged position, favouring bigger service providers.
Without government funding to cover rent and maintenance costs, centres which didn’t own their own premises were less competitive, according to Ms Rubery.
“If a big provider puts in a tender but they don’t need to use $20,000 of that funding for accommodation because they already have accommodation and we need to use $20,000 of that $10,000 to pay lease, then we are only really giving $80,000 worth of value for money,” she said.
“Does that just cut us out automatically?”
She said the Greenfields centre offered services ranging from childcare to parenting support, from dancing to alcoholics and narcotics anonymous, which would find themselves in the street if the centre didn’t win a tender.
“It’s a bit disheartening that you are trying your hardest to make the most for the community and assist the community with low cost programs that are beneficial and provide this great friendly safe environment,” she said.
“But always in the background is the cloud that in June next year they might just shut the doors on you.”
Community wellbeing concerns
Linkwest, a body which represents 50 neighbourhood centres across the state, said the reform would “effectively dismantle” the neighbourhood centre sector.
“The state government’s Department of Local Government and Communities (DLGC) is cutting funding by up to 30 per cent and implementing misguided reforms which favour large contractors,” Linkwest chief executive Jane Chilcott said.
“If that policy is brought in, the biggest losers will be the Western Australian communities our members serve.
“That 50 of these centres could well disappear from the local landscape is the biggest threat to community wellbeing that WA has faced in the past 30 years.”
However a Department of Local Government and Communities (DLGC) spokesperson said there had been no funding cuts.
“The proposed Supporting Communities Program combined three existing programs with access to a larger pool of funding of $9.4 million,” they said.
“An open tender process will provide fair and equitable access to government funding opportunities to ensure the best outcomes are achieved for the community.”
The spokesperson said the announcement to cease ownership and leasing agreements of community and neighbourhood centres was a decision by the former Liberal government.
However, they said the department had been working closely with affected centres to support the transfer of ownership and leases.
“In the majority of cases, the response from the affected centres has been overwhelmingly positive,” they said.
But Ms Rubery said the future for her centre was uncertain.
“Is it really what’s best for the community or is it really what’s best for the wallet?,” she said.
“Because if it really was what’s best for the community then they would really weigh in that tender process how long we’ve been here, what we do.”
Community services minister Simone McGurk did not comment on the changes.