By CASEY NEILL
A PROGRAM to improve the health of almost half of Greater Dandenong residents could be gone in six weeks after failing to attract State and Federal Budget funding.
City of Greater Dandenong’s community services director Mark Doubleday said the council was not aware of any funding for Healthy Together Victoria in the Federal Budget.
“However the specific detail is yet to be analysed beyond the major headline aspects of the budget,” he said.
“Council will be following this up with the State and Federal Governments in the coming week.”
Greater Dandenong was among 12 municipalities to receive funding for the three-year program in 2012 which is designed to promote healthy eating and physical activity.
Last year the Federal Government cancelled the funding agreement with the State Government that was supporting Healthy Together, and the state picked up the tab for 2014-‘15.
All funding now looks set to disappear from 30 June.
The council delivers the Healthy Together Achievement program across 70 per cent of schools and early childhood services and to 72 workplaces with more than 21,500 employees.
“The initiative is currently reaching 46 per cent of people in the Greater Dandenong community,” Mr Doubleday said.
That’s 67,500 people.
Prior to the budgets Mr Doubleday told the Journal that if funding was not secured, it was likely that a range of supports and services could no longer continue in schools, early childhood services and workplaces “to the same capacity, if any”.
