[Greens-Media] Brough should abolish fees for Tangentyere food voucher program - Greens

[Bennett, Ebony (Sen B. Brown)]

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Brough should abolish fees for Tangentyere food voucher program - Greens

The Howard government should be supporting successful community-led
programs, Greens spokesperson for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Rachel
Siewert said in Alice Springs today.

"Tangentyere council has been running a voluntary food voucher program,
based on quarantining a portion of Centrelink payments, successfully for
25 years," Senator Siewert said.

Under the Centrepay system, 840 people voluntarily put aside a portion
of their Centrelink payments, which is managed by the Tangentyere
council and converted to food vouchers that are redeemable at the
council-run supermarket. The program employs three people and its
running costs include $12,600 in transfer fees from Centrelink each
year. 

"The Greens call on Mal Brough to support this successful program by
abolishing the fees charged by Centrelink to transfer the money to the
council," Senator Siewert said.

"There is no need to reinvent the wheel here. This program works and it
is supported by the community."

"Community members want the government to talk to them, they want to
find solutions and they want to deal with the issue of grog. But they
feel any government proposals will only be successful with community
support and consultation and that it needs much more careful planning
and coordination," Senator Siewert said.

Further information: Chris Twomey 0407 725 025

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Ebony Bennett
Media Adviser
Office of Greens Senator Bob Brown
Mobile: 0409 164 603
Ph: (02) 6277 3170
Fax: (02) 6277 3185
ebony.bennett at aph.gov.au