Summary
This week, Nicola Willis announced a $190 million budget allocation for a new fund aimed at addressing social issues, marking the beginning of a significant shift within the public service. Andy Coster, head of the Social Investment Agency (SIA), described this change as “disruptive,” indicating that it will enhance the SIA’s control over billions in social spending related to youth offending, unemployment, housing, and addictions. This transformation may lead to community-based commissioning groups making contracting decisions for service providers, although the current system works well for about 80% of simpler services.
