Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Adelaide for this important question and acknowledge his support for the over 3,800 veterans in his community. Veterans are more than three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. On census night in 2021, we saw that over 1,500 Australian veterans were homeless. Every year, about 6,000 veterans are at risk of experiencing homelessness. Last week, the member for Boothby and I went and visited the Andrew Russell Veteran Living centre in her electorate, where we got to meet Duncan, an Australian veteran, who had been provided with housing and, critically, with the wrap around support services that he required to get back on his feet.

Whilst I was there, I also announced that the Albanese Labor government is addressing the veteran homelessness problem with the launch of the Veterans' Acute Housing Program. This is a program funded through the Housing Australia Future Fund—the single biggest investment in social and affordable housing in more than a decade—and forms part of the Albanese government's $32 billion Homes for Australia Plan—

See this speech in context