Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This year, students in my electorate of Hunter took part in the Raise our Voice campaign, and today I want to read a speech from Ella:

A lack of suitable housing and ever-growing interest rates have single-handedly cost Australians millions of dollars a year, money which is not helping its citizens, but making the current crisis much worse.

Did you know that over one-third of Australian citizens find it difficult to live on their current salary?

That is nearly 9 million Australians.

The high demand and low supply is destroying the housing market, while rising interest rates are frightening buyers and Australians are starting to see the effects.

Without action, within ten years, living in Australia will become so expensive that many people will be forced to migrate, leaving Australians who are willing to stay with a decade of debt and irreparable economic damage.

The Australian people are praying for a change, whether the government works with banks to decrease interest rates or provide further subsidies for people willing to build housing, something needs to change, and it needs to be now.

A change needs to work towards the idea that people can live in our country without the worry of paying more in rent or mortgages than they are earning.

Without a reasonable solution, soon the Australian population will be on the receiving end of unrepairable financial damage.

Thanks, Ella, for raising these very important issues.

Today I also want to read a speech from 13-year-old Hayden:

I'd like to discuss a major issue within Australia, and that is homelessness.

My concern for this group started when I was just 9 years old, and on a school excursion to Sydney.

At night, every 100 steps and under every bridge there would be a group of homeless people struggling to stay warm with what little they had.

I felt a strong sense of sympathy in that moment, and I strongly believe parliament should feel the same.

The homelessness rate in Australia right now is 0.47%, which is currently around 120,000 people.

But if we don't act now, the homelessness rate can and will increase more than ever before.

Especially now with the cost of living crisis that we are currently going through.

Is that really what we want people to see when they enter OUR country and go to see our biggest cities?

Groups of homeless people at every turn, all because we did nothing about it when we had the chance to?

It's certainly not what I want, and I'm sure you don't either.

Thank you, Hayden. This is certainly a big issue and something that we all want to see fixed.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.