Govt aid takes pressure off Shire funds for care

Shire of Augusta-Margaret River president Ian Earl says it is looking likely the full $2 million allocated through the Shire’s community care fund will not be needed, thanks to the timely intervention of State and Federal Governments.

With no council meeting this week, elected members were due to catch up to discuss progress on the funding relief, with fewer applications coming through.

At press time, the fund had allocated $192,000 of the money drawn from Shire waste reserves under emergency legislation.

Recipients included housing advocacy group Just Home with $113,000, Mindful Margaret River with $41,850, the Augusta Community Resource Centre with $8605. The Margaret River Chamber of Commerce will also offer free memberships to operators, receiving “staged funding” of about $28,000.

The money will also continue support for local businesses hit hard by the pandemic, with further programs to be announced. Cr Earl said the Shire wanted to support residents and groups in need while also carefully monitoring expenditure from reserves,

Income, tenancy, and mental health support from higher tiers of Government would also relieve the pressure on the Shire fund, he said.

“It’s such a rapidly-evolving beast,” Cr Earl told the Times.

“It really is like a bad bushfire.

“The first day, you’re running around trying to work out what is happening.

“We’re getting on top of it now.”

Shire chief executive Stephanie Addison-Brown said all ratepayer funds distributed through the package would be tracked and reported as a separate business unit available in the council’s monthly financial report.

Funding decisions were made by an assessment panel which included herself, the Shire’s executive team, and three councillors.

Decisions were made based on community benefit, ability to deliver services, and what alternative funding existed, she said. “The grant funding process requires for funding recipients to meet project milestones and provide outcomes and financial acquittals,” Ms Addison-Brown said.

“If groups receiving funding find they don’t need to use all of it, including in cases where they have been able to access Commonwealth funding for the same purpose, the remaining funds will be returned to the Shire through the acquittal process.”

“The Shire doesn’t seek to discriminate between local and non-local people, but rather wants to act in the collective best interest of the whole community.

“However, it should be noted that funding has been specifically allocated to meet immediate community needs identified within the Shire.”

Chamber president Melissa d’Ath said many small business operators were navigating complex application processes which needed expert guidance.

“In some cases, this is resulting in inaccuracies in the information as the expertise required is outside of the business owners realm of experience,” she said.

Cr Earl said local groups which received funding were best placed to understand grassroots needs for help.