Revolt grows over Labor’s $2m cut to lifeline for struggling Australians

Ask Izzy is a free digital directory operated by the not-for-profit organisation Infoxchange. It connects people facing difficult circumstances with charities, government programs and community organisations. The service matters because it gives people one place to search for urgent help during a crisis.

Users can search for food, housing, financial assistance, mental health support and other emergency services. The directory is especially important for people who may be escaping family violence, experiencing homelessness or struggling with rising living costs. Women make up 63 per cent of users.

Ask Izzy’s usefulness depends on its broad, searchable listings. It recorded 9.1 million searches last financial year, showing strong demand. The government’s decision to end funding has raised concern that vulnerable people could find it harder to reach help when they need it most.

The funding being ended is federal support worth $2 million a year for Ask Izzy, a service that connects people with emergency assistance. Services Australia confirmed that its funding agreement ended on June 30. The campaign is seeking $6 million over three years to keep the service operating.

The decision has caused a revolt because Ask Izzy recorded 9.1 million searches last financial year, a 7 per cent increase. Nearly 200 charities and community organisations now support restoring the funding. More than 2000 Australians have also contacted politicians. No federal minister has publicly explained the decision beyond referring to government processes.

The dispute has spread across Parliament. The Coalition, Greens, One Nation and crossbench MPs have backed calls for a reversal. Charities warn that removing support for a widely used directory could leave vulnerable Australians without reliable access to food, housing, safety and emergency help.

Ask Izzy is used on a very large scale across Australia. It recorded 9.1 million searches in the last financial year, which was a 7 per cent increase. Those searches covered practical needs such as food, financial assistance, housing and mental health support.

The service’s network is also extensive. Infoxchange maintains more than 500,000 listings of charities, government programs and community organisations. The directory reaches regional communities as well as major population centres. In Victoria’s Mallee electorate, about 28,000 searches were made last year by a population of roughly 88,000.

These figures explain why the funding dispute has attracted political and community attention. A large user base relies on a wide network of information. Coalition MPs in regional Queensland have requested detailed electorate-level figures, while campaigners say the service creates $83.1 million in annual public value.

If funding is not restored, people in crisis may have less accessible help finding food, housing, financial assistance and mental health support. Charities warn that cutting access during a cost-of-living crisis could leave vulnerable Australians without assistance when they need it most.

Ask Izzy provides a single directory connecting users with more than 500,000 listings. Food made up almost a third of searches last financial year. The service also helps people facing family violence: women account for 63 per cent of users, and one in five people searching for housing assistance are escaping family violence.

The article does not state exactly what would happen to the directory if funding remains unfunded. However, campaigners argue that ending government support could weaken access to a service recording 9.1 million searches a year. A delegation will press politicians to restore funding during the next parliamentary sitting week.

Political support for continuing Ask Izzy crosses party lines. The Coalition, Greens, One Nation and crossbench MPs have backed calls to restore funding. Independent MP Allegra Spender has also demanded continued government support and described the service as important for vulnerable people in her electorate.

Almost 200 charities and community organisations are involved, up from 24 when the campaign began. They include Mission Australia, Foodbank, OzHarvest, St Vincent de Paul, The Smith Family and UnitingCare Australia. These groups bring direct experience of food insecurity, homelessness, family violence and financial hardship.

The campaign combines political pressure with public advocacy. More than 2000 Australians have contacted politicians. A delegation of frontline workers and people with lived experience will visit Canberra during the next parliamentary sitting week. Coalition MPs are also seeking local usage figures before Senate estimates hearings later this month.

Services Australia has confirmed that its Ask Izzy funding agreement ended on June 30. Instead, it points people towards alternative government referral services. The article does not identify those services by name, so their precise features cannot be compared from the available information.

The stated difference is financial and administrative. Services Australia says the alternative government referral services do not require additional licensing or subscription costs. Ask Izzy, by contrast, is a not-for-profit directory supported through a government funding agreement that has now ended.

The article does not say whether the alternatives contain as many listings, receive as much traffic or cover the same community organisations. That uncertainty matters because Ask Izzy maintains more than 500,000 listings and recorded 9.1 million searches. Campaigners argue the government should restore funding rather than rely only on the alternatives it has identified.

Governments may fund not-for-profit connector services because they make existing support easier to find. A directory can bring charities, government programs and community organisations together in one place. That can help people in crisis reach assistance without searching separately across many providers. This general explanation is not stated directly in the article, but it follows from Ask Izzy’s described role.

Ask Izzy shows the model in practice. Infoxchange maintains more than 500,000 listings, while users made 9.1 million searches last financial year. Food, housing, financial assistance and mental health support were among the main needs. The service also helps people seeking safety from family violence.

The article presents public value as the main argument for continued support. Campaigners estimate Ask Izzy supports $83.1 million in annual public value, while seeking $6 million over three years. They say government support should continue as demand reaches record levels.