Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Housing is a basic human right. Having a roof over your head at night is something that all Australians deserve, whether it's those in need of social housing, women fleeing domestic and family violence, a young person moving out of home or a family wanting to buy their first home. For eight long years, this Liberal government has sat by and watched housing affordability in this country get worse and worse and worse, and the demand for affordable and social housing has just increased. We are facing a housing crisis in Australia right now. We've seen housing affordability continue to get worse, locking many people out of the housing market. We've also seen rental prices soar across capital cities, with a recent Anglicare study on rental affordability showing that only 17 properties available for rent in Adelaide were affordable and appropriate for people on income support payments.

These increasing housing costs are resulting in some Australians looking to social housing to keep them off the streets. Almost every week, my office receives a call from someone who can't find an affordable private rental property and has been left sitting on a waiting list for public housing, the list growing longer and longer by the day. They are worried that, without help, they will become homeless. One resident from Morphett Vale has contacted my office seeking help. She is a mother of two and has worked as a hairdresser for over 12 years. After sustaining a bad arm injury, she found herself unable to work as a hairdresser anymore and went onto a Centrelink pension. This has left her unable to afford a private rental property for herself and her two children. She has been left sitting on the waiting list for social housing, being told it could be years before she gets a property.

Data from the Everybody's Home campaign shows that this is not an isolated case. In my electorate of Kingston, in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, there are over 3,300 people in need of social housing. It's just not good enough for this Liberal government to sit on its hands and say there's nothing to see here. That's why I'm pleased that, if elected, Labor has committed to establishing a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund to build social and affordable housing. Over the first five years, the investment returned from the Housing Australia Future Fund would build around 20,000 social housing properties and 10,000 affordable housing properties for frontline workers.

Of the 20,000 social housing properties built in the first five years, at least 4,000 would be allocated to women and children fleeing domestic and family violence and to older women on low incomes who are at risk of becoming homeless. Over the last year, 10,000 women and children trying to escape domestic violence were turned away from refuges because they were full. This leaves women and children with the terrible options of sleeping rough, sleeping in a car, if they have one, or going back to a house where they will again face the violence they are trying to flee. For those who are lucky enough to get a bed, it's likely to be a long stay, with many reporting long waiting times for social housing. The last report by the Council to Homeless Persons found that 40 per cent of women were experiencing homelessness due to escaping family and domestic violence. Women leaving dangerous situations should not be left with no option but homelessness.

We also have an emergency facing older Australian women. Women over 55 are the fastest-growing demographic facing homelessness in Australia. It is just not good enough that, in a country like ours, we accept that we have these groups of people, particularly women, who cannot find a home. That is why Labour's plan to invest in social and affordable housing is critically important.

I also want to point out the additional $100 million that, as part of this policy, will be given to crisis and transitional housing options for women and children who are fleeing domestic and family violence and for older women on low incomes who are at risk of being homeless. If we are serious in this country about addressing the issues of family violence and ensuring that women are kept safe, then we must act now. It is not good enough to just put up a political fix in a budget. It has to be long term, it has to be sustained and it has to be with real national effort. I urge the government to put more effort into this and back Labor's plan for more affordable housing. (Time expired)