Funds cuts ‘to hurt libraries’

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
LIBRARY services across the region face cuts after State Government slashed funding, a Geelong councillor has warned.
Geelong Regional Library Corporation chair Cr Rod McDonald said the organisation could lose as much as $500,000 in state funding over the next four years.
The Government reduced funding state wide without warning last week after library corporations had finalised budgets.
“We’re facing a shortfall of $70,000 on budget this financial year and the gap will only widen over the next four years,” Cr McDonald said.
“It’s really disappointing because it will mean service cuts.”
Cr McDonald said regional libraries were showing improved attendance figures.
“The Government funds us based on population and CPI but has cut the funding and said its not including indexation in the funding formula.”
Cr McDonald said library corporations and councils across the state were banding together to fight the decision.
Municipal Association of Victoria president Bill McArthur urged councils to refuse to sign the funding agreement.
“This could not come at a worse time for the sector because councils have completed budgets for the coming year and there has been no forewarning or explanation from the state,” Cr McArthur said.
”We’ve already heard from a number of councils wanting to participate in joint advocacy on this matter. A strong and united response from local government will be important to ensure public libraries receive adequate state funding to survive.”
The MAV said the state wide cut was $5 million over four years.
Cr McArthur accused the Government of trying to shift the costs of running libraries to local government.
The state’s contribution to public libraries had reduced from 20.1 per cent of service expenditure over the past three years to 19.2 per cent while local government’s recurrent contribution had grown from 72 to 74.7 per cent, he said.
Geelong Regional Library Corporation chief Patty Manolis said the cuts compromised the corporation’s ability to carry out its five-year plan.
“We hope funding will be reinstated, otherwise this will have a terrible impact on Victorian libraries and Geelong Regional Library Corporation.”
State Government had not returned the Independent’s call for comment when the paper went to press.