“IT is unacceptable for the Minister for Disability to claim time and time again that the ACT government is committed to SHOUT and other community organisations, when it continues to refuse to take responsibility for it,” says opposition disability spokesperson Elizabeth Lee.

“For all Minister Stephen-Smith’s talk of continuing to work with SHOUT, there will be no SHOUT to talk to come May 31 when the government strips it of its funding.

“I urge the government to match its rhetoric on care and conversation with tangible action in order to protect this valued service.

“It may be that the government believes that funding for SHOUT should come from another source. Regardless, SHOUT has put out an SOS to the government. The ACT government needs to step up and say that even if other funding options fail, we won’t fail you.

“To date, that plea has fallen on deaf ears. SHOUT needs action, not hollow words. When the opportunity to act came last week for all parties to support SHOUT, ACT Labor and ACT Greens used their numbers in the Assembly to vote against my motion to fund this important organisation; an organisation that is helping thousands of Canberrans. This is unacceptable.

“I call on the ACT government to act to show our vulnerable Canberrans that they are not on their own.