Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

The House owes the member for Throsby a debt of gratitude for bringing this issue to the attention of the parliament. It focuses on issues that the Howard government, as reflected by the member for Moreton’s comments, does not want to face up to. The real issue is that the face of homelessness has changed over the last two decades from the old, derelict man on the park bench, clutching a bottle of wine or spirits wrapped in a brown paper bag, to a man who is now joined by too many of his fellow Australians.

The homeless of today now includes younger men, unemployed and hopeless, the confused and mentally ill and, increasingly, women with children, desperate to escape violent and destructive domestic situations, who now make up over 42 per cent of homeless people. But perhaps worst of all are the young people cast off by their families—people who cannot cope or do not care. Young people under the age of 25, who are part of our future generation, now make up nearly half of the around 100,000 Australians who sleep rough on the streets every night. Youth aged between 12 and 18 years of age make up a quarter of all those who are homeless and the situation, unfortunately, is getting worse.

Community service organisations and major charities are doing their best, but they all agree that current resources cannot meet the demand for services. On an average day, the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program turns away more people than they have the capacity to help—up to 304,000—and it is a similar story across the country with all service providers. It is a sad indictment on all of us. Our society has to confront this challenge. The situation is all the more depressing given that this is not a new problem. Both major political parties can improve their performances on this issue. Homelessness in Australia has been a silent smear on our national community for decades. In more recent times, the Howard government for too long has directed much needed funding to chasing votes rather than to funding providers that could help in a practical way those most vulnerable and most in need.

You may be able to avert your eyes while walking along when you come across a homeless person sheltering in a doorway, but the unavoidable reality is that too many people live in poverty and on our streets. The resources and property booms of recent times have provided well for many of us, but not all of us. These people are asking not for a handout but for a helping hand to enable them to work on breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, which can destroy opportunity—but, worst of all, hope—for many in Australian communities.

Let us be clear: these people do not want to live on our streets. They do not want to live exposed to the weather, waking every morning thankful just to be alive and on a constant search for the next meal, many of which are provided by non-charitable organisations. These people want what we want: they want to be a respected part of our community, they want to earn their own living, they want to contribute to society and they want to give something back for the helping hand.

For some, this dream will always remain just that: an unattained reality. It would be a poor statement on our society if we were to let it continue for people such as Andrew, a homeless person from the age of 14, one of the 100,000 people who each night have nowhere to call home. Andrew ran away from foster care as a young teenager and spent a despondent youth constantly getting into trouble with the law. He died at the age of 24, murdered whilst living on the streets. He had fathered three children; two were taken as infants into foster care, like Andrew. What a hopeless start in life for those young children. As of today their future is unknown.

That is why I join with my colleagues on both sides of the House to clearly state that we can do better. I urge the government to provide additional funding to meet the unmet demand of the homeless and to develop strategies and cooperation with non-charitable organisations and local and state governments to work to reduce homelessness. Let us share the benefits of the boom that most of us are benefiting from and offer a helping hand to the homeless, many of whom are young. It is no longer just the man with the wine bottle but also the young women who are running away from desperate domestic situations. We need to confront the challenge. Here is a challenge to all of us in the lead-up to the next election. There might not be a lot of votes in it, but it gives people hope for the future. (Time expired)

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