The Wagga Women’s Health Centre is set to lose $600,000 worth of primary prevention funding, after being unsuccessful in securing a grant for 2025-26. Photo: Wagga Women’s Health Centre Inc. Facebook.
The Wagga Women’s Health Centre (WWHC) will soon be gutted of $600,000 worth of annual funding following the release of the 2025-26 NSW Government budget.
Under the new budget, the WWHC will lose all of its primary prevention funding by 31 August, meaning most, if not all of its innovative and community-based domestic violence initiatives will cease to continue.
The news of the funding pull came after the centre was notified it was unsuccessful in obtaining a new grant as part of the Primary Prevention Multi-Year Partnerships scheme.
WWHC president Vickie Burkinshaw said Minister for Women Jodie Harrison’s decision to no longer allocate funding to the centre came as a huge shock and would serve as a major hit to the education of the harms of domestic violence to people in the Riverina region.
“It’s unbelievable. It comes without any kind of warning,” she said.
“We were already expecting a decrease of the $600,000 to around $200,000 a year, but to get told we’re getting nothing is just shocking.
“It’s got huge implications for the centre; it will impact our men’s programs, our school programs, our Ngangkari healing services, our Say No to Violence campaign, our 16 Days of Activism and a whole range of educational services and awareness initiatives.
“It really is demoralising and will have taken a moral impact on our staff because it’s one thing to patch up women and support them, but it’s another to change the patriarchal system through education and advocacy.”
Ms Burkinshaw said rural areas were hotspots for domestic violence around the country and it made little sense there was no support for women’s health centres this side of the Great Dividing Range.
“When looking at the disproportionate amount of resources that go to organisations in the major cities, it’s clear that people who allocate the funding don’t understand the situations of regional areas,” she said.
“So we’re here sitting on the ground with programs that we know have made inroads, with a community of people that support us, and now we don’t have the impetus to be able to take these things forward.
“It’s extremely frustrating. It’s not just for health either.
“I put my Friends of the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery hat on, and the feeling for regional galleries that didn’t get funded either. I’m not quite sure what’s happening with this government, but it feels very disingenuous that so much of the money is going into the city and not out into the regions.”
Ms Burkinshaw said she would work with independent Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr and Labor stakeholders to ensure that some money could be allocated to the centre.
Dr McGirr highlighted the success of the WWHC in Wagga’s educational programs and expressed his dismay over the funding cut.
“The proven success of DV2650 and the men’s engagement work are examples of prevention in action, providing statewide leadership in supporting women and encouraging men to take responsibility for changes that will address the scourge of domestic violence,” he said.
“I have met the Minister for Women to share my dismay at the loss of funding for this essential program and will also raise it in parliament. Quite simply, it is just not good enough.
“I know the government is serious about tackling domestic violence, but to discontinue funding to a program with an established record of success is a serious mistake, and I urge the government to work with our community to ensure this life-changing work can continue.”
Ms Burkinshaw is encouraging Riverina community members who are against the funding cut to write to Minister for Women Jodie Harrison and NSW Premier Chris Minns.
“We’ll certainly be writing to the minister, Jodie Harrison, and also to the Premier, Chris Minns.
“We are thankful for the work that Joe wants to do as well. He’s going to be representing us in parliament. We would also like to see Wagga City Council say that they really value what the women’s health centre has been able to do over the last 45 years, and that we need it to continue.”
The office of NSW Minister for Women Jodie Harrison was contacted for comment.
