Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Lack of housing, affordability of housing and availability of housing is a critical issue for many Australians and more so for my community in Fowler. As many members would have heard when I have risen to speak previously in the House, I constantly ask for measures and call our government to action to help alleviate the pains and struggles my community is experiencing when it comes to affordable rent, affordable housing, cheaper energy bills and other cost-of-living issues.

With my Fowler electorate being among the most affected electorates in rental and mortgage affordability in the country and with wait times for social and affordable housing exceeding over 10 years in most cases, I've recently organised a housing forum in my electorate of Fowler. To get to the heart of the housing crisis, we need to bring the various levels of government together as well as the people who play an important role in the sector to help progress towards a solution. I was therefore extremely grateful for the collaborative spirit from Traders in Purple and the Urban Development Institute of Australia, who helped me pull together a group of willing individuals from local state and federal levels along with community housing providers to be part of the Fowler Housing Forum to share expertise in an effort to find concrete solutions for the housing crisis that we are currently experiencing.

I'm regularly approached about housing issues, as I'm sure many others in the House are also confronted when they return to their electorates. We know it's a state issue, but many constituents who do not distinguish between state and federal levels visit my office with compassionate and compelling circumstances, most of whom have been left unconsidered for social housing for years. A compassionate case that comes to mind from my area of Fowler involves a single mother of three children living in a house with hazardous mould and a rat infestation. She struggled for 19 years for social housing. This is just one example that showcases the gravity of our nation's housing crisis. While many regions are affected, it's really acutely felt in south-west Sydney. Housing issues shouldn't be considered a state issue. Rather, the federal, state and local governments should collaborate on ideas for a better future, one where affordable housing is a reality rather than a struggle for our next generation.

Speaking of the next generation, I was fortunate enough to sponsor four young people from my electorate of Fowler, Kyouko Nagatsuka, Mario Compart, Nikki Chan and Barseen Orshana, to attend a national leadership forum here in Canberra. Over four days, they met young leaders from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region as well as prominent politicians from our country. The experience enabled them to have valuable conversations with current leaders and broadened their awareness of important matters with notable members of our parliament.

The feedback obtained from these four delegates and others I met throughout the first day of the forum was extremely encouraging and full of optimism for the future of our nation and its next generation of leaders. According to Kyouko, 'It profoundly enriched my personal and global awareness.' And Mario shared, 'It was transformative and gave me confidence and agency to pursue my leadership aspirations.'

I want to acknowledge the team behind the National Leadership Forum, particularly its managing director, Andy Skidmore, for their commitment to this program. Since it was first established in 1997, over 3½ thousand young people have participated from 20-plus countries, and more than 53,000 volunteer hours were give to see the forum grow and expand. The forum has become one of Australia's preeminent leadership development initiatives, each year gathering a community devoted to serving and encouraging young Australians to step up, contribute and push themselves outside of their comfort zones.

I would also like to acknowledge the local businesses who sponsored these young people's attendance—the Cabramatta Golf Club, the Lansvale Motor Group, the Cabramatta Optus retail store and Reni's Bar & Grill. These local businesses, despite the challenges they're facing with their businesses, were generous enough and gracious enough to see the importance of investing funding into the growth of these young people. Kyouko, Mario, Nikki and Barseen wouldn't have been able to experience the forum without the help and support of these businesses, which we are grateful for.

See this speech in context