Communities are the centrepiece of our society. Strong communities are those, which foster inclusiveness, protect the vulnerable and ensure opportunity for all.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals believe in the value of communities and will ensure they play a more significant role in government decision-making.

We will halt the centralisation of decision making which has occurred under NSW Labor and return power to communities.  Currently, the NSW Labor Government boasts more Ministers than any other Australian State or Territory, and more Ministers than US President Barack Obama has Secretaries. This centralisation of power comes at the expense of communities who are denied a voice in decision-making.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals believe that a government’s success can, in part, be measured by the support it provides to the most vulnerable.

Against this benchmark Labor has failed. In 2002 Labor promised to improve the child protection system, out of home care system and increase frontline support capacity in the Department of Community Services.  Yet, since then, the number of both reviewable child deaths and deaths of children known to DoCS continues to rise.

Reviewable Child Deaths in NSW (2003-2007)

The NSW Government has failed in the area of homelessness. NSW has a greater percentage of people aged 35 or over who are homeless than compared with the national average.

Another area of Labor’s neglect has been Indigenous Affairs. There has been no material improvement in the quality of life for the Indigenous community. The Productivity Commission’s Report Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage (2009)15 found:

• The indigenous unemployment rate was higher in NSW than any other Australian state or territory;
• Indigenous children were twice as likely to be hospitalised for preventable disease and injuries as non-Indigenous children;
• NSW has the second highest crude imprisonment rate of any Australian state or territory:
• 41 out of every 1000 Indigenous children were on care and protection orders, compared to 5 out of 1000 non-Indigenous children;
• Indigenous people were hospitalised as a result of spouse or partner violence at 34 times the rate of non-Indigenous people.

People with disability deserve a greater voice and choice in the provision of their services. The NSW Liberal & Nationals are committed to a disability service system that offers greater choice and a stronger say for people with disability and their carers.

We are committed to a system that has confidence in people with disability, their carers and families to manage their own social care needs. Last year around 1,700 people with disability were on the urgent need list for supported accommodation services, yet less than four per cent were found a place. This is a crisis situation.

Our focus will be to work with the non-government sector in partnership to build capacity to meet unmet need, support individuals, carers and families. These partnerships will build opportunities that are tailored towards the individual needs of those with disability.

We believe in personalising service delivery and allowing individuals to choose the services they want. It is well recognised that this will lead to improving the responsiveness of services. The current one-size-fits-all policy of the NSW Government’s approach to disability funding is incompatible with the unique needs of individuals.

Building stronger communities is about promoting and encouraging positive community activities and achievements.

NSW’s multicultural community is one of the reasons this state is such a vibrant place. We are home to people from 210 different countries19, and more than a million people who speak a language other than English.20 We should cherish our cultural diversity and use our global heritage to improve our standing in the international arena. It is the government’s responsibility to create an environment for all individuals to reach their potential irrespective of their cultural background. The NSW Liberals & Nationals have already begun a process of engagement with different migrant communities through the establishment of our Cultural and Citizenship Advisory Forum and our International Students Roundtable discussions.

When it comes to NSW’s arts industry, the focus has traditionally been on the social and cultural benefits the industry offers. However, while these benefits are undoubted, statistics also reveal the economic importance of our arts industry with figures revealing the industry employs 5 per cent of the NSW workforce and employment has grown at twice the rate of other industries. The NSW Liberals & Nationals are committed to growing opportunities for the arts industry.

The senior members of NSW’s population are among its greatest assets. The number of people aged 65 years and over is the largest growing demographic in NSW with 23.6 per cent of the NSW population to be aged 65 years and over by 2031, up from the current percentage of almost 16 per cent. These people have made an enormous contribution to society and every opportunity should be taken to harness the skills and experiences they have developed over their lifetimes. The NSW Liberals & Nationals believe senior people deserve dignity, respect and opportunity to fully participate in our society.

A key concern for NSW seniors is the under-funding of the Home and Community Care (HACC) Program which funds basic maintenance and support services to help frail older people to continue to live in the community and remain living at home. NSW has the lowest total real expenditure on HACC services of all Australian States and Territories.

Volunteers are the heroes of our communities. They put the needs of others before themselves and rarely ask for thanks. It is estimated that 1.4 million volunteers in NSW contribute 200 million hours annually. However, this is below the national average indicating there is more government can do to foster and support volunteers.

Volunteering Rates by State and Territory (2006)

The NSW Liberals & Nationals are also committed to opportunity for all and promoting better outcomes for women.

It is of serious concern that job figures for August 2009 show 13,400 women in NSW have lost their job since Nathan Rees became Premier.

Women are still too often the victims of domestic violence with statistics revealing there were almost 26,000 incidents of domestic violence related assault in 2008.28  In addition, research has found that it is highly unlikely that the assault which led to the police being involved is the first time the victim has experienced domestic violence.