Alison Penfold MP welcomes funding for essential Neighbourhood and Community Centres
Federal Member for Lyne, Alison Penfold MP, has welcomed the federal government’s announcement of Emergency Relief funding for two local Community and Neighbourhood Centres following her advocacy to the Minister for Social Services.
The Buckett’s Way Neighbourhood Centre is to have its funding emergency relief funding reinstated having been pulled by the Department of Social Services last year. The Centre will receive $35,000 in 2025/26 and then $148,750 through to 2030.
The Dungog Community Centre will receive an additional $6,111 in funding on top of its current emergency relief funding allocation for services between now and the end of this financial year. The allocation is part of a funding pool announced by the Albanese Government in response to the impacts of the current fuel crisis on family budgets.
“These are not large amounts of money, and I wish it was more, but each dollar will help provide immediate assistance such as food vouchers and other emergency relief to people seeking help from both Community services.
“The Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Centre should never have had their funding pulled by the Department in the first place, a decision that is still not entirely clear. That said, I am pleased that the Minister responded to my advocacy and has put in place arrangements for Centre to receive the funding as soon as possible.”
Writing to the Minister for Social Services on 26 March 2026 as part of her advocacy push, Ms Penfold called for an urgent increase in funding to not-for-profit community organisations under growing pressure as more Australians turn to them for support.
“With the cost-of-living crisis made worse by fuel shortages in regional Australia, these organisations are seeing record numbers of people seeking help and urgently need more immediate funding to keep supporting our most vulnerable community members.
“We are seeing more people than ever before who have never needed help—families, workers and older Australians—now turning to these centres because they simply cannot make ends meet.
“I am pleased the Government has responded in line with my request.”
Ms Penfold added that she had on the same day as the Government’s announcement moved a Private Members Motion in the Parliament to raise awareness and support for the work of not-for-profit Neighbourhood and Community Centres and their volunteers.
“Community and neighbourhood centres are the last line of defence for vulnerable Australians—and right now, they are being stretched to breaking point.
“We are seeing more people than ever before who have never needed help—families, workers and older Australians—now turning to these centres because they simply cannot make ends meet.”
“Housing stress and cost-of-living pressures are driving demand with needs becoming more complex, yet long term operational funding remains uncertain and is certainly not keeping pace,” Ms Penfold said.
A copy of Ms Penfold’s Private Members Motion and speech is available here.
ENDS
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