In 2017, when I joined Catherine House as CEO, I was handed plans for a new purpose-built facility. Catherine House is a women's homelessness service based in 19 repurposed old cottages in the Adelaide CBD. Only its emergency accommodation living facility was purpose built, in 1988, but the shared bathrooms and living facilities are increasingly a source of conflict. So I was very pleased to attend the topping-off ceremony for the new Catherine House facility with Senator Penny Wong. This new 52-bed facility is funded by the federal government through the Social Housing Accelerator Fund and the safe places inclusion fund.

We all hope that these sorts of facilities aren't needed, but, sadly, they are. Around 60 per cent of women who use Catherine House come from domestic violence—recent or in the past, including in childhood. Trauma lasts. It impacts the lives of survivors for years, sometimes decades, but they can recover. That is the special thing that Catherine House offers: as well as a safe place to live, a door to lock and three meals a day, Catherine House also provides each woman with a caseworker to help her recover from the impact of homelessness and the issues that brought her into homelessness. They help her find a home, access income support, find a job, restart education and, sometimes, reunite with children. Emergency accommodation is an important part of our housing sector. This government backs housing while those opposite want to—