A sizable crowd gathers outside the Wagga Women’s Health Centre to protest the recent $600,000 funding cut to the centre. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Members and supporters of the Wagga Women’s Health Centre have rallied in protest against the recently announced $600,000 funding cut to the centre by the NSW Government.
From 31 August, the Wagga Women’s Health Centre (WWHC) will be stripped of its primary prevention funding by the NSW Government, which helps fund several of its community initiatives, including men’s programs, school education programs, Ngangkari healing services, the Say No to Violence campaign, and the 16 Days of Activism initiative.
The move to cut the funding has been slammed by members of the health centre, including WWHC president Vickie Burkinshaw, who described the move as “a shock and outrageous”.
“This has come as an enormous shock to us. At no stage throughout this process did we have an understanding that the Women’s Health Centre would not be successful in continuing our primary prevention work with the support of the State Government; we were expecting a funding cut, not a funding loss,” she said.
“We have one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country. Yes, we have had extraordinary breakthroughs in being able to have conversations in our schools, conversations with our men and boys, conversations with our First Nations people. All of that stops from the 31st of August.
“Apparently, from the 31st of August, there is no domestic violence in Wagga.
“We have written letters to the Premier [Chris Minns] or to Jodie Harrison [Minister for Women]. We haven’t received a response. We’re demanding a response. We need to sit down at the table and say, ‘Where are you going to find this funding from? Where are you going to find the funding to help us continue the amazing work that we are doing?’
Ms Burkinshaw stated that when meeting with ministers about the funding cut, the centre is being encouraged to raise money or seek philanthropy.
“This is no God damn Bunnings sausage sizzle,” she said.
“It’s not going to solve the problem. This is about the government recognising that there is an issue with domestic violence, and they have a responsibility to fund the programs that are working.”
Region contacted Ms Harrison’s office early last week and is yet to receive a response.
Former federal election candidates Grant Hardwick and Mark Jeffreson and Wagga councillors Jenny McKinnon, Amelia Parkins and Mayor Dallas Tout at the event. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
The protest was supported by councillors and former federal election candidates, including Labor councillor for Wagga Wagga Amelia Parkins and recent Labor candidate for the Riverina, Mark Jeffreson.
Cr Parkin said it was extremely disappointing to hear about the funding cuts to the WWHC, in comparison to Sydney and the east coast, which received 10 of the 11 successful applicants for the primary prevention funding.
“I’m so disappointed that a Labor government has made a decision like this,” she said.
“The Labor government is letting down regional NSW, and as a Labor councillor, I’m so disappointed, but we are going to advocate as hard as we can. The local branch has already written over 40 letters to every relevant minister, state and federally that we can, and we’re not going to stop.
“I understand that there is a bureaucratic process and that it does take weeks to get a response to any sort of correspondence. So I’m not disheartened by the fact that we haven’t heard anything yet. I’m sure that we will hear something. I just hope that it is something positive.”
In an impassioned speech to a sizable crowd outside the centre, acting director of WWHC Julia Milsom said the decision to cut the funding had now put lives at risk.
“The cut of this funding puts us at risk. You know, the purpose of our primary prevention work is to get out into the community and engage community groups in conversations around healthy relationships, respect, consent.
“These are the sorts of things that help keep women safe, and by not being able to have those conversations out in the community, it really puts women at risk. And what that means for our centre, then, is that we’re just looking after women after violence has happened.
“Regional areas miss out, whether it’s in health and education, all those sorts of things. It’s so often where regional areas are the forgotten cousins.”
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Region Riverina.
