2026-05-25
The ACT Greens have welcomed the ACT Government’s additional investment in the community sector, saying the funding boost will provide some immediate relief to organisations working on the frontline of Canberra’s cost of living and housing crises.
The announcement comes after lengthy negotiations between the Greens and the Labor Government ahead of the upcoming ACT Budget.
The Community Sector and the Greens have been seeking an additional $20m uplift in funding per year across the forward estimates. Until we see the breakdown of funding behind the announcement today, we will not know if that $20m annual funding call has been met.
ACT Greens Spokesperson, Laura Nuttall, said community organisations are holding together the social fabric of Canberra, often while operating under enormous financial pressure.
"The ACT Government has historically under-funded the sector, and as a result their funding has not kept pace with demand," said Ms Nuttall.
"The Greens remain concerned that anything less than $20m boost per year will not allow the community sector provide our community the services like they used to, nor meet the increasing demand during a cost-of-living crisis.
"After months of lobbying from the Greens, including a Greens Assembly motion in March, we're hearing from our community organisations that this announcement has finally begun to address the deeper structural problems facing the sector. But we need to go further and faster, with many organisations still trapped in cycles of short-term funding agreements and funding increases that fail to keep pace with real costs and rising demand.
“Community organisations are the safety net catching people when everything else falls apart - whether that’s housing stress, food insecurity, mental health challenges or financial hardship.
“The additional funding announced by the Government is welcome and absolutely needed. It will help organisations keep their doors open and continue supporting Canberrans doing it tough.
“But many services are still being asked to do more and more every year without funding that properly reflects inflation, wage growth, population growth and rising community need," said Ms Nuttall.
ACT Greens Leader, Jo Clay, said the Government’s continued reliance on year-by-year funding arrangements is creating instability across the sector and making it harder for organisations to retain skilled workers.
“You cannot build a strong, sustainable community sector on one-year funding cycles," said Ms Clay.
“Workers deserve job security and organisations need the ability to plan ahead instead of constantly wondering whether funding will disappear at the next budget.
“When funding increases fail to keep up with indexation, organisations are effectively being forced to absorb cuts year after year. Eventually that means fewer services, staff burnout and people missing out on support.
“At a time when more Canberrans are turning to community organisations for help, the Government should be treating the sector as an essential partner - not leaving it in a constant state of uncertainty,” said Ms Clay.
The ACT Greens will continue pushing for sustainable, long-term funding models that properly resource the sector and recognise the growing demand on frontline services.