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

My question is for the Minister for Housing and the Minister for Homelessness. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering for people most in need of housing in Australia, and what are the risk of delaying the passage of the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill through the parliament?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Canberra for her important question because I know that she, like everyone in this place I'm sure, finds it unacceptable that 123,000 Australians were homeless on census night in 2021.

Each of those Australians has a story to tell, and each story is one that all of us should be listening to. Over 80 per cent of the increase in people who are homelessness are women. And I want to remind members in this place and the other place that that's why, in its first five years, returns from the Housing Australia Future Fund will deliver 4,000 homes for women and children impacted by family and domestic violence and for older women at risk of homelessness, as well as $100 million for crisis and transitional housing options for these people. Sadly the data also showed that Indigenous Australians are over nine times more likely to experience homelessness. That's why returns from our Housing Australia Future Fund will provide $200 million for repairs, maintenance and improvements for housing in remote Indigenous communities.

As the Minister for Veterans' Affairs said yesterday, in the census there was a new question to gauge the number of veterans and serving members of the Australian Defence Force who are homeless.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That answer is not one that is funny or that we should be proud of. On census night 1,555 veterans were homeless. Again, that's why returns from the Housing Australia Future Fund will provide $30 million to build housing and fund specialist services for veterans who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, homelessness. As I said yesterday, of the 123,000 people, 23 per cent were young people aged 12 to 24.

The data shows that we all need to work together to do better. That's why at the last election we put to the Australian people a plan to tackle the country's housing challenges. Fundamental to our plan is increasing supply of new housing, and we are already delivering. Today homes are underway already across the country from our Housing Infrastructure Facility broadening. In our first budget, we had the National Housing Accord. We've already stood up the Interim National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, and work has begun on a National Housing and Homelessness Plan. We want the National Housing Accord, the National Housing and Homelessness Plan and the Housing Australia Future Fund working together, on independent advice from the Interim National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, helping everybody work together and lifting the states and territories and putting pressure on them too to do more. Our $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund will be the largest boost to social and affordable housing in more than a decade. Our fund will help deliver more homes. I urge people in this place to support it, because Australians that need it most— (Time expired)