WA charities in crisis as rising fuel prices force volunteers off the road, threaten vital services

WA’s not-for-profit sector is crippling as skyrocketing fuel prices halt operations and force volunteers off the road.

The state’s peak business body, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA, sounded the alarm warning that not-for-profit organisations were already running on “wafer-thin margins” before the price of fuel hit the roof.

“When shocks like this occur, it’s very hard for not-for-profits, especially those in the community and care sector, to find the extra money to cover additional costs, particularly for those operating under fixed pricing structures,” CCIWA chief executive Will Golsby said.

Mr Golsby warned that many organisations rely on the kindness of dedicated volunteers, but it has become increasingly difficult for people to get to and from their roles.

At Cat Haven, the reality of these costs is becoming a matter of life and death.

As the only open-admission shelter in the state, the facility often takes in up to 70 cats in a single day. However, chief executive Roz Robinson warns that the current economic climate is proving unsustainable.

“We are in difficult times and have been with the cost of living and this is just really the final straw,” Ms Robinson said.

“We’re pessimistic about the next 12 months and where it’s going to go.”

Ms Robinson said the shelter has already lost volunteers because many are older people on a pension who can no longer afford the commute.

The staffing shortage has become so severe that Ms Robinson and her regular team are now performing the manual labour usually reserved for volunteers.

She warned if the shelter can no longer afford to operate at capacity, the outcome for WA’s stray population would be grim.

“If we can’t afford to look after these cats and kittens and do the work that needs to be done on them... it is very distressing because what will happen to those cats is they could be dumped or euthanised,” she said.

In response to the mounting pressure, the CCIWA has released a suite of policy recommendations to the State and Federal Governments.

These include a freeze on fees and charges like car registration, a pause in the collection of payroll tax, and measures to help businesses locked into fixed-price contracts.

Mr Golsby urged the government to place not-for-profits at the front of the queue for any relief.

“We urge both the State and Federal Governments to carefully consider what relief they could give to all businesses, including the community and care sectors,” he said.