Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, in October last year the government committed to renewing the Equal Remuneration Order supplement for federally funded community services, yet homelessness services—which include domestic and family violence crisis accommodation—were excluded, and, nationally, are about to lose over $56 million in funding. This is the equivalent of over 500 frontline workers, the majority of whom are women. Prime Minister, this is obviously an absurd decision—not least because homelessness services are already turning away thousands of people, many of whom are, again, women and children fleeing domestic and family violence. Prime Minister, will the government protect vulnerable women and children and commit to including the homelessness services in the ERO deal?

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