Canberra is a great place to live but are services keeping pace with growth? Photo: File.
Canberra is a great place to live. We are a growing and vibrant city that is aspirational for how liveable and focussed on wellbeing we are.
Canberrans have come to expect that the services and support they need will be available to them when and where they need.
What most Canberrans don’t know is that investment in community services has not grown with the population and complexity of the city. While we expect access to support – from childcare to aged care, from crisis to prevention, from social connection to food – the reality is that most of us will have to wait.
No longer can you expect to walk into a service and receive instant support and assistance. As population increases and funding remains static, we have seen the rise of the waitlist. An increase in the process of determining whose needs are met first and who can wait or be moved on to another service with another waitlist.
As we start to collect data on our progress against the ACT Wellbeing Framework, it’s evident we are becoming more socially isolated and have less access to health and wellbeing services.
We are seeing fewer people with high levels of personal wellbeing and a sharp increase in the number of people reporting low levels of personal wellbeing. A sense of wellbeing affects how we parent, participate in life and work, manage life events and look after our health.
We need to act now to ensure we don’t move further away from our goal of all Canberrans experiencing high levels of wellbeing. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure the services, programs and supports that promote and sustain wellbeing are adequately funded.
Imagine reaching out for help when family life becomes stressful only to be told you will need to wait for up to six months, or finally encouraging someone in your life to access help to be told they are not unwell enough or that the program they want to access has a wait list.
In a city known to be one of the most liveable in the world, surely we can and must do better.
A pending election is a great time to think about what we want and expect from the community in which we live.
I want Canberrans to have what they want and expect; services and supports at a time when they are needed, where they are needed, in spaces that are safe, inclusive and accessible, and delivered by skilled experts. We all access community services – from childcare, parenting support and health advice to social support, assistance with living expenses, help in a crisis, or just participating in the community.
This election we need to ensure the many community services we are proud of, support and engage with are resourced to provide the assistance we expect and need.
Next time you see a candidate at the shops or knocking on your door, remind them of your right to receive timely, safe and accessible support. Or don’t wait to see your candidate – send them a message right now by visiting ACT for Community. It will take you less than 30 seconds.
It is time for our community services to receive the resources they need to meet the expectations of a growing city. Services delivered at the right time, in safe spaces by trained experts will change the lives of individuals and the community.
Lisa Kelly is the CEO of Carers ACT. Having lived, studied and worked in Canberra for more than 30 years, Lisa has seen the city grow and change. With decades of experience working in the community sector supporting family carers, young people, children in out-of-home care, people living with disability and those with mental health concerns, Lisa understands the ACT community. Lisa is a passionate advocate and works tirelessly towards building a fair, equitable and healthy community.
ACT for Community is a powerful campaign which aims to call on all parties and candidates in the lead-up to the ACT election to commit to ensuring community organisations with enough funding to deliver their essential services.
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