Inflexible government funding is depriving remote communities in NSW, according to one social services group.

Criticisms first surfaced earlier this year on the ABC’s Q&A program, when a questioner from Wilcannia asked about the heavy reliance on outreach services by non-government organisations.

“We need positions based here in order to work with our community on a needs basis, not outreach coming in weekly and monthly,” she said in her question.

“Until this is addressed, domestic violence, drug and alcohol and mental health problems will continue.”

Q&A panellist and Indigenous academic Marcia Langton agreed it was a “complete waste of money” to fund NGOs when permanent government services are needed.

New South Wales Council of Social Service chief executive Tracey Howe says tight funding restrictions mean there is not a lot of cohesion between NGOs.

“They're only there on particular days, and so if someone has an issue with potential suicide and they need some counselling or therapy, what we heard was it doesn't really help you on a Tuesday, when you're going through this, to say; ‘Well someone can see you Friday’,” Ms Howe said.

“And then they look further and they say; ‘Well, you don't fit the criteria of our program’.

“They're given a bucket of funding to cover a few areas and then they say; ‘Well that day of the week is when we do Wilcannia, that day of the week is when we do Menindee’.

She said the only way to solve the problem was through communication.

“I feel it's more of a mapping exercise and a coming together of the different parties to say; ‘Is there a way we can do this better?’, and the Government being flexible around the people proposing a better way.”