By XAVIER SMERDON
PARENTS of disabled children in Wyndham have slammed the State Government’s refusal to fund a respite care centre in the municipality.
As revealed in Star almost a year ago, parents have been struggling without any respite services in the whole of Wyndham.
Mambourin, a Wyndham based charity, revealed to Star last year that they had made a submission for funding to build a vital respite centre through the Commonwealth Supported Accommodation Innovation Fund (SAIF).
In what is being described as a “heartless” move, the proposal has been refused.
It is believed that Karingal, a Geelong based charity, has been successful in receiving similar funding.
CEO of Mambourin, Rohan Braddy, told Star he hoped the needs of disabled children and their families would still be met.
“Whilst we were disappointed to have missed out on the funding after putting so much work into the application, we are pleased that the needs of people with disabilities and their families in this area have been recognised and hopefully will be met by this other project”, Mr Braddy said.
But Steve Morgan, whose nine-year-old son Corey has severe autism, said the State Government was not in tune with resident’s needs.
“It’s absolutely short-sighted of the State Government,” Mr Morgan said.
“They are so tied up in the bureaucracy that they can’t be practical.
“We need a break. We’re losing the fight simply because we’re so exhausted.”
Mr Morgan recently set up a disabled swimming class to cater for his son. The immense popularity of the class shows how desperate Wyndham families are.
“We now have more than 50 children in the class in less than a year,” he said.
“This is something I just set up for my own son, but how can I turn away another parent in need.
“We don’t even bother with government funded services anymore because all they want is for you to fill out a form so they can push you to one side.”
Mr Morgan said it was not good enough to expect parents to drive to Geelong for respite services.
A Department of Human Services spokesperson would not reveal why Mambourin’s application was unsuccessful.
