Lisa Darmanin (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on behalf of three remarkable young people from the state of Victoria, Adeeth, Arjun and Sachi, who, through the Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign, are lending their voices to some of the most important issues facing our community. This year's topic asks young people: what do you want your community to look like in the next 10 years, and what can the next parliament do to achieve this? Today I have the privilege of reading some of their words:

We are 12 years old. And live in the Holt electorate. We first witnessed homelessness when we visited the Melbourne CBD.

Seeing people sleeping on the streets with nowhere to call home deeply affected our view of Australia.

Over 122,000 are experiencing homelessness.

We questioned why a wealthy first-world country like Australia has people suffering on the cold streets of Melbourne.

It's disheartening to see an increasing number of people without a place to live. In the next 10 years, we hope to see everyone with a place to call home.

We believe that the government can encourage the public to donate essential items to those in need.

Additionally, instead of merely providing financial aid, we can offer free education and social counselling to help homeless individuals become productive members of society.

This is crucial, especially with the growing number of people abandoning their homes for the chilly streets of Melbourne.

To address homelessness, we need to provide free education and counselling. The parliament and politicians need to take this issue seriously and implement effective measures. A successful resolution to homelessness will result in a more liveable Australia.

Adeeth, Arjun and Sachi, thank you for letting me share your speech, and thank you for getting involved in politics and having care for what democracy should look like in Australia.