Opposition MPs hear local concerns
Damien O’Connor, Clare Harvey-Smith and Annette King at Heartland Service Centre this week pointing at the poster opposing cuts to ACE funding. Photo: Neil Wilson.
“Being in opposition gives you the chance to regroup and re-think some policies,” said the Hon Annette King on a visit to Heartland in Golden Bay this week.
Mrs King is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and her party’s spokesperson on social development. She was particularly keen to talk to representatives of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to discover how they operate in the Bay and how they are coping in the present climate.
Damien O’Connor, Labour list MP, spokesperson on rural affairs and biosecurity and associate spokesperson on agriculture, accompanied Mrs King on her visit.
“You can definitely take a bit more time when you’re in opposition,” said Mr O’Connor. “I’m taking the opportunity to get back around the vast Tasman electorate again and reconnect with key people.”
The MPs met with representatives of The Golden Bay Workcentre and the Golden Bay Community Workers, as well as health and education providers. They heard about developments in the integrated health project and local reactions to the reduction in the Adult and Community Education (ACE) funding.
Golden Bay High School’s ACE co-ordinator Clare Harvey-Smith explained to the visitors what the likely effects of the funding cut would be. Mrs King wondered whether the Government was aware of the anger their decision would create among the 200,000 participants in adult and community education. She was critical of the Government’s cost-cutting measures.
“With unemployment figures predicted to peak at 180,000 in November 2010, the providers of social services in this community and many others like it are likely to become even more important,” said Mrs King. “That’s why it makes no sense to be cutting funding in such a wide range of areas.”
Golden Bay Community Workers manager Sheryl Nalder spoke about the difficulties her organisation is confronting as a result of the demise of the former Government’s Pathways to Partnership programme. It was a four-year plan that involved service providers receiving the full cost of providing their services from the Government.
“We were one year into the programme but now we’re in a part-funded situation,” said Mrs Nalder. “It’s frustrating.”
“The new Minister of Social Development says that she doesn’t believe in fully funding the organisations that provide the social services on her Government’s behalf,” said Mrs King. “That doesn’t make sense to me.”
Mr O’Connor said that he was pleased to be meeting in the Heartland building.
“This way of connecting smaller communities to Government agencies was one of our successful initiatives. It’s a great thing.”
Neil Wilson
