Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In making a contribution on the appropriation legislation before the House, I want to raise the issue of homelessness. Some of the most distressing and desperate circumstances that come across my desk—or visit my office, quite frankly—relate to constituents who are at risk of homelessness, and I am sure that's common for many of us. According to the 2016 census, homelessness in Australia has increased by 13.7 per cent over the last five years. That's approximately 116,000 Australians who are experiencing homelessness on any given night. What a tragedy in a country like Australia.

While homelessness and housing instability is a very real problem across the nation, it is particularly dire in electorates like mine, where there's an overrepresentation of disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and those trying to support their families in those circumstances. Issues such as mental health, disability, unemployment, relationship breakdown, substance abuse, gambling addiction, and family and domestic violence can all put people at risk of homelessness. Sadly, I see this occurring disproportionally in my electorate. The constituents that come to my office are often dealing with very complex and multifaceted issues. These vulnerable individuals frequently end up stuck in a very vicious cycle. Housing instability and homelessness often increase vulnerability to adverse social and economic circumstances. These individuals and their families face a greater risk of poor outcomes in education, employment and health, as well as an increased risk of being involved with the justice system of our nation.

Women and children are at greater risk of homelessness as a result of domestic and family violence. Violence against women is one of the most serious and distressing issues facing our community. Women on temporary visas who are escaping violence have no access to welfare and no work rights; they face language barriers and are restricted from seeking appropriate help. Often they are socially isolated, may not have the support of family and friends in Australia and certainly are not able to afford social housing. There are many such people in my electorate—immigrants and refugees—and, until they are given permanent citizenship, this can be a very significant issue for them.

Recently Mission Australia released a report that identified domestic and family violence as one of the main reasons women and children are becoming homeless in Australia. In light of the astounding statistic, the CEO of Mission Australia, James Toomey, said:

We need to do more to prevent, reduce and ultimately eliminate domestic and family violence if we are to have any chance of ending homelessness.

That's a pretty powerful quote.

Local service providers in my community certainly agree with his view on this. For instance, the CEO of Bonnie Support Services, Tracy Phillips, said, 'The biggest challenge faced by support and safe accommodation services for women is the severe shortage of affordable and social housing.' Local service providers are struggling to keep up with the demand for crisis accommodation and transitional housing as women in greater numbers are now sleeping rough, and that figure continues to rise—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 10:50 to 11:02

Further, there are systemic barriers impacting on women existing on Newstart or low incomes, particularly those who don't have a rental history, and, as I've already mentioned, on women who are on temporary visas without social security payments or social support. What is clear is that it is women who are at the most immediate risk of homelessness in our society. With the lack of long-term social and affordable housing, women, particularly those experiencing domestic violence, will continue to be pushed into homelessness.

A further point on the issue of systemic barriers is the government's position on the rather dismal rate of Newstart. I think every member here has to ask themselves, 'How does anyone live on $40 a day, covering the cost of food and transport, particularly given the rising costs of housing?' The simple answer is that they don't. The government has been pressured from all quarters of the community to lift the Newstart rate, yet the Prime Minister is determined that that will not occur under his government. A recent survey conducted by the Australian Council of Social Service found that more than half the people on Newstart who participated in the study have less than $100 left each week after paying their housing costs. That's $100 each week to live on.

The chronic shortage of social housing and affordable homes and the increased levels of housing stress also place people on Newstart at an extremely high risk of becoming homeless. Many individuals have to rely on the support of families and friends to simply have a roof over their heads. Without the support of refuge services, including those offered by charities, such as the Women's Housing Company or St Vincent de Paul Society, many of these people wouldn't even have that.

Karen Devins, the specialist homelessness services manager at St Vincent de Paul, voiced her concerns about having to turn people away from the men's shelter out in my electorate of Liverpool, which joins the member for Werriwa's electorate. For a wealthy country like ours, this should not be happening. For many low-income households in my community, the lack of social rental housing has placed an enormous strain on families who are forced to pay unacceptably high housing costs. This puts these people at risk of homelessness. It is a very real threat for them and their families.

An inadequate supply of affordable rental housing, in particular, has led to an increasing number of households paying more than a third of their income on rent. It is no wonder that my electorate of Fowler, regrettably, topped the nation in terms of rental stress, according to the research done by the University of New South Wales. They found that 44 per cent of households in Fowler are living with rental stress. With the average household income in my electorate just being a little over $60,000, it's little wonder that the great Australian dream of owning a home for most is going to remain just that—a dream. As low- and middle-income households are excluded from home ownership, this will continue to put pressures on the private rental market. Consequently, rent will become increasingly unaffordable for many living from pay check to pay check.

With more families struggling to afford the private rental market, the demand for affordable or social rental housing is clearly outstripping supply. I therefore find it troubling that the newly appointed Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community—that was his title—in an ABC interview tried to put a positive spin on our growing housing and homelessness crisis. It is at a crisis level. I don't see how we can say anything positive where there are more Australians sleeping rough on the streets and in their cars or forced to stay with friends and family due to a lack of social housing. In 2016, the Census showed that the rate of homelessness is almost five per cent higher than the rate of population growth in this country. There is no denying the fact that homelessness, perpetuated by our severe housing problem, is a critical issue and is one that we, as community representatives, have a responsibility to address.

National Homelessness Week took place when the parliament was sitting last month. It was to raise awareness and highlight the issues faced by people experiencing homelessness and those at risk. In our electorates—I'm referring to the member for Werriwa and myself—the Whitlam Library in Cabramatta established the homelessness hub to provide homeless people and those at risk a safe space where they could access support services, morning tea and some collegiality. In addition to that, for those who are sleeping rough particularly in the winter the Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections, supported by the Liverpool City Council, purchased 114 backpack beds to protect people sleeping on the streets. That is simply a short-term fix. It's a short-term fix for a very broken system.

These initiatives highlight the evident need that we have for concerted action. Every tier of government has a role to play to address homelessness and to reduce its detrimental effects on the lives of people and their families. Everyone deserves to have a roof over their heads. Everyone deserves safety, security, privacy and stability. Everyone deserves to live with dignity and respect. In a developed society like Australia, homelessness should not be on the rise. No amount of positive spin by politicians will be able to mask the reality that we are currently facing in this nation. We are a wealthy nation. It should not be acceptable for any Australian to be sleeping rough. Access to affordable safe, sustainable housing, I would assert, is a basic human right, and there is much more that this government can do to address housing inequity and homelessness, particularly as we have now reached a crisis point.

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