Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Cameron, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Coalition Government has failed to commit to any specific targets to reduce homelessness,

  (ii) homelessness has risen by 14 per cent, and the number of people sleeping rough has risen by an alarming 20 per cent since 2011, and

  (iii) homelessness service providers are calling for a national solution to end homelessness; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to develop and implement a well-resourced National Homelessness Strategy that:

  (i) has specific targets to reduce homelessness,

  (ii) develops and implements approaches, in partnership with states and territories, to prevent homelessness, and

  (iii) develops and implements a framework of continued support for people to break the cycle of homelessness.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave for a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Commonwealth government introduced the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement in the 2017-18 budget to provide $1.5 billion annually to support state governments in delivering frontline services. State governments maintain primary responsibility for housing and homelessness initiatives and frontline services. The Commonwealth government continues to work closely and constructively with state governments to support approaches to prevent homelessness.

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a real shame that this government has failed to commit to any specific targets to reduce homelessness despite such disturbing numbers in the last census, with more than 100,000 people now without a home. People are sleeping rough, have no roof over their head, no bed to sleep in. They're on the streets and on park benches, and this number is up by 20 per cent. Here we have a government that doesn't care about the people they represent because they're so caught up in themselves. They're more committed to fighting each other than to anything else. People are suffering and bearing the brunt of an unfair system, caught in a cycle of disadvantage, and the Liberal-National coalition has no interest in breaking that cycle.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion, as moved by Senators Faruqi, be agreed to.