Ms O’CONNOR (Hobart) – Mr President, I will say a few words in support of the board and the staff of the Tasmania Community Fund. As someone who had the great honour and privilege of being the minister responsible for the Tasmanian Community Fund between 2010 and 2014, I am sad that the Tasmanian Community Fund has been subject to a political attack.
We can set aside for a minute, for the purposes of my brief contribution, the Auditor-General’s report, which examined one grant that was given to the Tasmania Community Fund, which supported reconciliation and the Yes campaign. Since the Auditor-General’s report came out, we have had Senator Jonno Duniam come out and attack the Tasmanian Community Fund. We have had the government threaten to amend the Tasmania Community Fund Act 2005 to try to control the board. I remind members that in 2014, very shortly after the Liberal Government came to power, we heard and it was confirmed that the government was moving to absorb Tasmania Community Fund funds that were set aside in perpetuity after the sale of the Trust Bank and bring them under the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Surprise, surprise, Mr President, the Premier’s adviser at that time was one Jonno Duniam.
We busted the government trying to take the money of the people of Tasmania through that Trust Bank in perpetuity fund and stopped it at the time. This is now another attempt to undermine the Tasmanian Community Fund. I am simply flagging with members, be mindful. Be mindful of a government that would use a single Auditor-General’s report in relation to a single grant that then threatens to change the Tasmania Community Funds Act [TBC] and charter, particularly given this government’s history a decade ago of seeking to take the funds that were set aside for so much community benefit in 1999.
The Tasmanian Community Fund, in the last year alone, awarded $6.3 million to 41 different projects in all of our electorates, supporting communities across this island, in small towns and cities and in large ones. Places like Bucaan Community House received a grant for some upgrades. We should all be supporting the work of the Tasmanian Community Fund. We have all, I am sure, referred our constituents to the fund when they are looking for a contribution to their community connective endeavours. I want members to be mindful of that.
The government has said it is considering these changes. The board of the Tasmania Community Fund is made up of extraordinary, skilled, good people. They are there for one reason only: to independently, thoroughly and, with heart, assess the thousands of applications that they receive each year and make a determination about the ones that need to be supported or should be supported to build communities.
We should all be determined to make sure that the Tasmania Community Fund can continue to do the wonderful work in our communities which it has been doing for the best part of a quarter of a century. We should resist any move to politicise or bring it under more political or bureaucratic control, something that the parliament in 2005 rightly recognised needed to be done at arm’s length from government.
I remember, as minister, the Tasmania Community Fund grants would come up to the office, a list of the recommended grants for me just to give a tick to and sign off. No minister and no politician should be sticking their hands into the Tasmania Community Fund.
On behalf of the Greens, I am putting this government on notice: just be careful.
