Budget empowers local leaders to tackle disadvantage

The Albanese Labor Government will deliver the most meaningful and significant overhaul to the way Australia tackles entrenched disadvantage in our nation’s history – partnering with philanthropists, empowering communities and enhancing place‑based approaches, including action in the early years.

Today’s Budget funds substantial investments in cost‑of‑living relief and meaningful improvements to services like Medicare and Cheaper Child care.

But in this Budget, we also recognise that there are disadvantaged communities right around Australia where a national approach on its own will never be enough.

We need to listen to and empower local leaders, work with communities and direct services in a way that meets their needs.

And in the constrained fiscal environment, we need to make our existing services work better and seize the opportunity offered by philanthropy in their proposal to work with the government.

The 2023‑24 Budget will deliver a $199.8 million package to take on this challenge.

This package has a strong focus on intergenerational disadvantage and child and family wellbeing. Action in the early years of a child’s life – including through health, education and protection from harm – is key to breaking these cycles of disadvantage.

This investment will deliver:

• A new strategy to partner with philanthropy through the Investment Dialogue on Australia’s Children – enabling the government to coordinate efforts and rapidly divert funding where it’s needed most.
• A new approach to gain insights and put data in the hands of communities to help guide local decision making and better direct funding.
• A new strategy to embed and expanding local decision‑making in existing place‑based initiatives.
• A new launching pad for further place‑based work across government with the aim of unlocking billions of dollars in mainstream service funding, through a government place‑based framework.
• A new $100 million Outcomes Fund which will see the Commonwealth partner with states, territories and social enterprises to tackle disadvantage by funding projects that deliver outcomes in communities.