A small charity in the south-western Sydney suburb of Liverpool has been made to stop fundraising and threatened with a $5 million fine by inspectors from the local council.
After operating in the same location for four decades, the Young Adults Disabled Association (YADA) has been told that it can no longer run its store in a residential area.
The charity’s headquarters in Liverpool also operates as an Op Shop, which is used to raise funds that pay for day trips, crafts and activity days for local seniors living with a disability.
Speaking recently with A Current Affair, spokesperson for the Young Adults Disabled Association, Buffy MacDonald, spoke about the impact that banning fundraising will have on the charity.
“They have stopped us from fundraising and telling us we must close our charity doors if we continue to operate, as we have for the last 40 years,” MacDonald said.
“So, it’s likely we will be forced to close the charity,” MacDonald said.
In another cruel blow, Liverpool Council inspectors have issued the small charity a court attendance notice that includes the threat of a $5 million fine if they fail to comply.
Mayor of Liverpool Council, Ned Manoon spoke candidly with A Current Affair about the situation, revealing that both he and his fellow councillors were appalled by the decision before pointing the finger of blame at backroom bureaucrats who refused to look beyond the rulebook.
“This is madness and us councillors don’t have the power to overrule their decisions,” Manoon said.
The charity’s spokesperson Buffy MacDonald told reporters that she cries when she thinks about what the future will hold for those who utilise their services when the doors of the Young Adults Disabled Association are forced closed.
“We are the only ones who take these people out on weekends and for holidays,” MacDonald said.
The charity has launched a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to fight the council’s decision. Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so by clicking here.
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