Title
Lobbying for National Literacy Funds
Letter to Ursula Stephens
Senator the Hon U. Stephens
Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector and Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Prime Minister for Social Inclusion
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Dear Senator Stephens
LOSS OF FUNDS FOR THE ADULT LITERACY NATIONAL PROJECT
As you will be aware, as a consequence of the finalisation of the Special Purpose Payments for the Vocational Education and Training system, $1.5 million for the Adult Literacy National Project is no longer available to manage a national program.
The loss of this funding impacts ACAL directly. ACAL will no longer be able to produce the national newsletter Literacy Link nor deliver our national program of web-based and face-to-face professional development activities. Adult literacy practitioners are thereby deprived of major communication and networking tools that contribute to the currency of their professional expertise. The adult literacy field is further disadvantaged by the loss of the Adult Literacy Innovative Project that provided small, special purpose grants for individuals and organisations to undertake resource development and small scale research.
However, we believe that the most serious consequence of the loss of the Adult Literacy National Project funding will be the closure of the Reading Writing Hotline, a national telephone advisory, referral and counselling service for members of the public. This service is hosted by TAFE NSW on behalf of all other states and territories. It has been in operation since 1994 and has received 122,000 calls in that period. 86% of these callers are seeking help for the first time; most callers are employed and 45% live in regional areas. 2008 has seen the highest call volume – in excess of 6000 this year. The Reading Writing Hotline provides its callers with information about literacy services available in their localities and many callers report that it has taken them several years to work up the courage to make the call. The anonymity offered by the service was an important element in their taking this first step.
The Reading Writing Hotline provides national coverage for an annual cost of $370,000. The service could not be replicated in each state and territory with the same level of funding. There is no incentive for TAFE NSW to continue to fund this service on behalf of all stakeholders in Australia. This service provides a real public good and real value for money. It is difficult to understand that there could be a rationale for withdrawal of funding; we are more inclined to see the loss of funds as a bureaucratic oversight. In fact we are convinced that it was not the intention of DEEWR to cease supporting this service.
We urge you to take a personal interest in this matter and suggest that, to prevent the closure of the Reading Writing Hotline in March 2009, an immediate intervention at a high level is necessary. At this stage DEEWR have indicated that they have no source of funding to support this service or any of the others supported under the Adult Literacy National Project. The amount needed to ensure continuity of service is extremely small and the benefits are large. The Reading Writing Hotline is a successful and effective service to the public that serves COAG’s broad Productivity Agenda and facilitates social inclusion. We feel certain there must be a way to maintain it.
Moreover, we suggest that you undertake an enquiry into the process by which a comparatively small amount of money ($1.5 m) did not remain available to DEEWR, despite advocacy from that Department, to maintain the Adult Literacy National Project.
Yours sincerely
MARGARET McHUGH
PRESIDENT, ACAL
19 December 2008
Lobbying for National Literacy Funds
Letter to Julia Gillard
Response from Ursula Stephens
(PDF 290KB)