NOOSA MP FUNDED QUICK START/EMERGENCY GRANTS RECIPIENTS JULY 2023

In response to community organisations experiencing hardships through increased costs and volunteer shortages, this year, we have used 30% of our office operating budget for QuickStart/Emergency Grants.

In previous years our office has funded programs to assist our disadvantaged youth to access their passions including sports, as well major initiatives via our ‘Seeds for Change’ Grants, and utilised funds for emergency accommodations and the ‘Be: Noosa Connect-SCUH Transport Pilot’ to ensure vulnerable residents, who were ineligible for subsidies, access their lifesaving treatments. The last twelve months have again been challenging for many of our organisations, and these small emergency relief grants make a real difference until governments develop better funding assistance models in response to these challenges.

State Members of Parliament have a set amount of funds allocated to operate their Electorate Offices for the purchase of equipment, mail outs, community event hosting as well as other ‘day to day’ expenses. MPs can also use these funds for advertising on billboards, newspapers and radio, which Sandy has never supported as she believes where possible these funds should be used to benefit the residents of the Electorate rather than the office bearer, with Sandy and her staff being extremely frugal to ensure there is direct monetary aid available each year.

Our volunteer organisations need as much support as possible and often miss out on other funding avenues, as do our volunteers who give of their skills and time free of charge. Both have been impacted by cost-of-living increases including for fuel to deliver assistance to our community, and this is Sandy’s way of acknowledging their sacrifices and the amazing work they do.

Thirty small organisations from beach to bush, who deliver support or services to our electorate, were successful in their applications at the end of June 2023, and we thank them, and every volunteer organisation, for the work they do every day on behalf of our community  Should any organisation be experiencing hardship that did not apply, can you please call us on 531 93100 or an email via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au.

Individual amounts per successful organisation