Library budget blindsided

By Lia Bichel
LIBRARIES in Casey and Cardinia say they have been blindsided by State Government funding cuts, leaving local board members with a financial mess.
Peter Carter, Chief Executive Officer of the Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation, said the board had prepared its budget before being told about the funding cuts, and now have a $66,000 void to fill.
“It’s disappointing on two levels.
“One – libraries are popular. We have 1.3million people go through our doors a year. It’s a high-use facility and the lack of support is disappointing,” Mr Carter said.
“Two – there was no warning.”
Mr Carter said board members have not yet met to discuss how they would make up the $66,000 they had budgeted for.
Casey Council, which also provides funding the local libraries, is taking action to try and help.
Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday to an urgent business motion moved by councillor Wayne Smith to write to the Premier, minister for local government and all Casey-based state MPs expressing the council’s deep concern over the recent, unexpected library funding grant cutbacks and seeking that the decision be reconsidered.
Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley has also called on the State Government to reinstate the funding as well as build a new library in her electorate.
She said the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has urged councils across the state to not sign the new libraries funding agreement.
“The MAV found that even though council were now paying more than under previous agreements, Mr Baillieu is trying to avoid paying for public libraries,” Ms Graley said.
“Libraries are important community hubs which are so valued by local residents.”
Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell said that it was because of “the previous Labor Government’s poor financial management” that public libraries in Victoria were negatively impacted.
“A cut of more than $2 million to the Public Libraries Grants Program was inherited from the former Labor government,” Ms Powell said.
“The Coalition government successfully protected public libraries’ recurrent funding from further reductions in difficult economic circumstances.
“The Government has also offered to pay recurrent library funding to councils in a lump sum as soon as a funding agreement is signed to enable them to receive the interest.”
Ms Powell said the State Government invested $17.2 million in the Public Libraries Capital Works Program and $4.5 million in the Premiers’ Reading Challenge Book Fund.
CEO of the Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation Peter Carter said he was disappointed that local libraries will suffer funding cuts.