Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I held a housing crisis forum in my electorate. I invited a cross-representative group of stakeholders to come and talk to us about what they're seeing, what they're experiencing and what action they'd like our government and this parliament to take. In attendance were not-for-profit organisations like Haven Home Safe and local community health services like the Bendigo Community Health Service. We also had our local government—the City of Greater Bendigo—and our local real estate agents attend. I mention local real estate agents because of what they said clearly and loudly to the group: 'We cannot supply all the rental properties that people in Greater Bendigo need. Yes, we are a critical part of the private rental market, but we cannot do it alone.'

They agreed with the rest of the people who participated that we need more social and community housing and that we need more supply to help solve the housing crisis not just in my electorate but across the region and across Australia. What they also said, which I thought was really interesting, is that this has taken decades to occur, that the legacy of the Howard-Costello years are finally starting to really impact in our local community. The funding cuts to the federal government contribution to social and community housing are really starting to hurt. I urge this parliament to take on board these local experiences.