The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
Minister for Social Services
Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Member for Kingston
The Hon Kate Thwaites MP
Assistant Minister for Social Security
Assistant Minister for Ageing
Assistant Minister for Women
Member for Jagajaga
The Albanese Labor Government is supporting communities across Australia to be strong and resilient.
Assistant Minister for Social Security, Ageing and Women, Kate Thwaites, this week visited A Brave Life in Brisbane to learn about the Equip and Empower project.
A Brave Life Ltd will receive almost $190,000 through the Strong and Resilient Communities Activity grant program to deliver the project.
Equip and Empower will identify and support vulnerable young mothers in the Moreton Bay area through a 10-week innovative group program focused on social inclusion, resilience and education from local specialists. It will help young mothers build community connections and access a variety of support services.
Assistant Minister Thwaites said: "In 2025 A Brave Life marks ten years of supporting vulnerable mothers and their babies across Queensland. With this new funding they will help support more young mothers to forge better, healthier, more stable lives for themselves and their children."
"The Equip and Empower group program will offer a safe and supportive place where mothers can connect with each other, access important supports like counselling and case management, and learn a range of skills to improve their wellbeing and resilience," Assistant Minister Thwaites said.
"The Albanese Government is proud to be supporting organisations including A Brave Life as part of our ongoing commitment to finding new ways to support at-risk cohorts across the country, including young mothers."
Minister for Social Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amanda Rishworth said organisations funded under the SARC grant program deliver targeted services to help build capacity at a local level.
"Our Government is committed to building strong and resilient communities, and to helping Australians who need extra support," Minister Rishworth said.
"To do this, we need to invest into the communities that need it most and with the organisations that can make the biggest difference to the future of community members.
"We know that the successful organisations are well placed to help some of our most vulnerable, including young people, people with disability, unemployed people, women and First Nations people."
Since 2022 the Albanese Labor Government has invested $47.5 million into SARC grants.
The funding builds on the Labor Government's record to help Australians with cost of living relief, including:
- providing every Australian taxpayer a tax cut
- increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance for nearly one million households
- boosting funding for emergency and food relief services, along with financial counselling
- extending the freeze on deeming rates for 876,000 income support recipients.
