The Benalla Community Services Hub, a crucial central location for 12 health and community agencies operating across North East Victoria, is set to close and leave some of the region’s most vulnerable people at risk.
The hub has been home to organisations including the Orange Door and The Centre Against Violence, providing a safe haven for victims of family violence to meet with support workers.
Despite this, news of the closure was announced in the middle of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
At least four of the 12 agencies who used the service recently pulled out of the collective building, leaving the hub with a major funding shortfall and an inability to keep their doors open.
The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, who immediately raised the issue with the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, said the Allan Labor Government had been stripping much-needed funding away from organisations like The Orange Door in Benalla.
She slammed the closure as “completely unacceptable” and said to announce it during the 16 days of activism is “indefensible”, warning the community will be left in an “extremely vulnerable and dangerous position”.
“The Allan Labor Government has cut funding from Orange Door in Benalla when they can least afford it, leaving an area firmly in the throes of a family violence epidemic at even greater risk,” Ms Cleeland said.
“This is an area with rates of family-based violence more than 70 per cent higher than the statewide average.
“Deciding to pull funding from an area like this, and then announcing the closure during the 16 days of gender-based violence is a damning indictment of Labor’s ability to keep our most vulnerable people safe.”
Ms Cleeland said services in regional Victoria continued to have funding pulled from them by the Allan Labor Government to cover exorbitant debt.
“Overspending and increasing debt levels caused by Melbourne-based projects has seen this Government turn to Regional Victoria as a way of saving money,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Unfortunately, it is our most vulnerable people who are suffering with cuts to mental health services, family violence support operators, community houses, hospitals, and maternity services.
“Cuts like this continue to demonstrate this government’s blatant disregard for regional Victoria and all of its residents.”
