Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to address the Committee this morning to talk about the very serious and increasing issue of youth homelessness but in particular to offer my support to St Bartholomew’s youth accommodation centre in Mount Gravatt, more commonly known as Nathanael House. I have had many occasions to visit and talk with the very hard-working team at Nathanael House over a number of years, both in my capacity as a local councillor and now as the member for Bonner, and I am always astounded and impressed by the amazing achievements that this very dedicated team can achieve.

Nathanael House itself is funded and operated by St Bartholomew’s Anglican church, which also operates in Mount Gravatt. Its director, Rees Madren, has asked me to inform the Committee that he is very pleased with the direction that the new Rudd Labor government is taking with reference to the homelessness issue in general but, more particularly, with the issue of youth homelessness and youth accommodation. Nathanael House has in fact operated a youth accommodation centre in Mount Gravatt for over 20 years and, in that period, it has seen the number of young people who are homeless across the country double, to 25,000, an issue that no-one in this Committee or indeed in our community can ignore.

For the last few years, the house has been inundated with requests from young people for short-term accommodation and in fact has had to decline as many as 800 requests each year because it is full already. So I was very pleased when Rees, the director, contacted me, after attending the homelessness conference in Adelaide, where he heard both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Housing address the conference on the issue of homelessness, and in particular youth homelessness. He asked me to please pass on his enthusiasm, his encouragement and indeed his praise for the comments he heard.

He is particularly pleased that the Commonwealth government is addressing the issue of crisis housing and accommodation. Of course, in a city like Brisbane, and particularly in the electorate of Bonner, the enormous growth in south-east Queensland is bringing much benefit and prosperity but also the pressures associated with an increasing population. So it is important that facilities such as Nathanael House are supported by this government and that others are also encouraged to get involved in the discussion about homelessness, particularly of our youth. He is particularly pleased that this government is addressing issues of domestic violence and other issues which put increasing pressure on youth homelessness.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for members’ statements has concluded.