National campaign to save Ask Izzy gathers signatures and momentum

Ask Izzy is a free directory that helps Australians battling adversity to find housing, food, family violence support and mental health services. Infoxchange says the directory logged 9.1 million searches for assistance in the past year.

In only a week, Infoxchange’s campaign has seen more than 2000 supporters sign up to oppose the federal government’s withdrawal of $2 million in annual funding in the most recent federal Budget.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the collective response,” said Infoxchange chief executive David Spriggs. “We knew how important Ask Izzy was to the sector, but seeing organisations and individuals from right across Australia come together so quickly has been extraordinary. From major national charities to small community services in regional and remote areas, there’s a shared recognition that people need a reliable way to find support when they’re doing it tough.”

Sector leaders including Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay, StreetSmart Australia’s Adam Robinson and Smith Family chief executive Doug Taylor have all added their voices to calls to save Ask Izzy. 

“What’s been most encouraging is seeing how quickly people have come together around something they believe in,” Spriggs said. “We’re hearing from right across the political spectrum that these voices are being heard. 

“It’s given us enormous momentum and we’re determined to build on it, with a new goal of 10,000 individual supporters and 300 organisations. This is a collective effort, and every voice helps paint a picture of why Ask Izzy has become critical infrastructure for the community services sector.”

A former project manager at the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Bernie Durkin, now retired, explained why he felt the service was needed. 

“Thirty years ago to find a bed for a homeless person we had to sit on the phone, often for hours, making multiple calls to likely sources, hoping that the next one would bear fruit,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “I cannot begin to explain to you what a game-changer this service became in the lives of service providers nationally as it reached maturity. 

“It provides accurate, updated and timely data in an increasingly demanding and complex world. An old adage says that it takes ten years to build a good name, and ten minutes to lose it. This move [removing funding] will very quickly and seriously degrade the credibility and richness of the resource, to the point where any rebuild may well take ten years … what utter profligacy!

“For a government which has historically claimed to be informed and driven by social justice, how have they forgotten that ‘access’ is one of the four core principles to its effective operation?  WTF guys…….wake up and do the right thing.”

Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said, “Ask Izzy is more than a website. For many people, it is the first step towards safety, shelter, food and support.

“With 9.1 million requests for help last year alone, Ask Izzy has become an essential pathway to support for people in crisis. At a time of rising hardship, the decision to cut funding to this vital service is the wrong one. The funding should be restored. Vulnerable Australians deserve better than having a lifeline taken away when they need it most.”

More information

The campaign homepage is here.