31 August 2016

Hot on the heels of Yvette Berry’s Spotless contract scandal, it’s now obvious the Minister hasn’t had adequate oversight of the funding arrangements for housing provider Inanna Inc, which is apparently struggling to fulfil its obligations, Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services Nicole Lawder said today.

“When organisations receive grants from the government to operate services, there are strict accountability and reporting requirements that must be adhered to. I have serious concerns of what oversight the ACT Government had of Inanna and how the issue has come to this point,” Ms Lawder said.

“It begs the question, what reporting requirements was the organisation supposed to comply with and why didn’t Yvette Berry and her Directorate enforce those reporting requirements? How long has the Minister been aware of these issues?

“Inanna has been delivering vital services to many vulnerable women in our community and it’s disappointing to see that the Barr government has not been able to properly manage its responsibilities to manage funding agreements.

“It appears ACT Labor Ministers are focusing too much on light rail and not on the people most in need of help in our community, not to mention adequate oversight of public spending.

“The overriding concern at this time is that the services provided by Inanna continue to be delivered with no impact on clients. It’s a shame the government has allowed it to reach this point. The Canberra community deserves better,” Ms Lawder concluded.

Contact: Joe Prevedello 0402 768 432