CASH SLASH SHOCK
DIVERSITAT REELING
Govt knocks back key funding grant Eight staff, migrant programs in the gun
DIVERSITAT will be forced to scale back programs for refugees and migrants and make eight staff redundant after losing Federal Government funding.
CEO Michael Martinez has labelled the cut a “shambles” after the Government slashed more than $200,000.
Corangamite Liberal MP Sarah Henderson — who was earlier this year appointed Assistant Minister for Social Services — said she had appealed for the funding to be reinstated.
Diversitat said its applications for funding for migrant-settlement programs had been successful for “many, many years”, but was this year knocked back.
“This is a devastating blow to our programs, which we have been running for decades,” Mr Martinez said.
DIVERSITAT has announced it has been forced to cut programs and will lay off eight staff before Christmas after the Federal Government slashed its funding.
CEO Michael Martinez said the Geelong community services organisation had lost more than $200,000 in a government “funding shambles”.
Corangamite Liberal MP Sarah Henderson — who was earlier this year appointed Assistant Minister for Social Services — said she had appealed for the funding to be reinstated.
Mr Martinez said Diversitat had “for many, many years” been successfully applying for federal money to help pay for programs assisting refugees and migrants settling in Australia.
But the Government’s decision to knock back the latest application had forced Diversitat to take the razor to its programs, with an annual camp helping young refugees make friends axed and several other programs under a cloud.
Mr Martinez said “significant” cuts at the organisation would also see eight staff made redundant before Christmas.
Mr Martinez said he was gobsmacked at the Government’s decision.
He was also critical of the Department of Social Services, saying the agency had been “absent” on the matter.
He said the department had refused an application for transitional funding that would have enabled Diversitat to scale back programs over time and minimise the impact on refugees.
Ms Henderson said she was “most concerned” that Diversitat had missed out, vowing to apply pressure in Canberra.
The organisation’s annual report confirmed several programs and activities faced an uncertain future. These included youth camps; staff support for volunteer programs across Geelong; health education programs; and employment support for young new arrivals.
A Gippsland camp for 20 young refugees was the first confirmed program cut.
A Department of Social Services spokeswoman said “Diversitat has been recommended to receive $2.12 million for SETS — Client Services over 3.5 years (from January 1, 2019) as the lead organisation in a consortium with three member organisations to deliver services in Geelong, North West, Ballarat, Bendigo.”
“Both of the SETS rounds (Client Services and Community Capacity Building) were heavily oversubscribed in terms of the number of applications received and the funding amounts that applicants requested,” she said.
“The Department of Social Services undertook a rigorous, needs-based assessment process. There are a number of providers, including Diversitat, successful to deliver both SETS components for the nominated service areas including Geelong, North West, Ballarat and Bendigo.
“The Government expects that providers work together to balance and share the demand for services across organisations.”
Diversitat has been supporting new arrivals since 1976.