Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is a speech as part of the Raise our Voice campaign from a young person in my electorate. She says:

Hello, my name is Zara and I am 11 years old. My federal electorate is Canberra.

Did you know that more than 76,000 kids in Australia showed up to homeless shelters and many were unaccompanied by adults.

Most of these kids were fleeing violence or neglect.

This should not be the childhood many children grow up in.

Many homeless shelters are under-supplied and understaffed which means they are turning away people who need a safe place to stay.

What can parliament do in the next ten years to help?

First, we should all appreciate staff at homeless shelters for all the help and time they are giving to the community. They are seriously undervalued.

Secondly, most homeless shelters don't have enough supplies to handle a lot of homeless people. They need more money and resources.

Do you know what the main cause of homelessness is? Domestic violence.

In June 2021, over 700 million people were put to stop domestic violence but that was just in NSW, we need a more substantial Australia-wide plan.

This is not a world people should live in.

I want Australia in the next ten years to get more people off the streets and into a safe place and solve some of the problems that cause homelessness.

Thank you, Zara. I'm proud that our government does have a national plan to address homelessness and a national plan to end violence against women and children in a decade. Thanks again, Zara.

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