Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also at the request of Senator Cameron, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) according to data from the 2016 Census, the number of homeless Australians has increased by 13.7% since 2011,

(ii) on Census night, more than 116,000 people were experiencing homelessness, and

(iii) the 'Everybody's Home' campaign has brought together 26 of Australia's leading non-government social services providers, community housing providers and homelessness advocates to call on governments to commit to a national action plan to end homelessness that addresses all the drivers of homelessness, including the lack of affordable housing, poverty and family violence; rapidly rehouses people who are homeless and helps them stay there; addresses the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the homeless service system; and includes a commitment to ending homelessness by 2030; and

(b) calls on the Government to provide the national leadership that is necessary, and to work with state and territory governments to develop and implement a national homelessness action plan.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the 2017-18 budget, the government announced that it would introduce indexed and ongoing funding for homelessness for the first time, giving certainty to the homelessness sector. Over the next three years, the government is providing $375 million to the states and territories to deliver homelessness services programs through the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. The legislation to achieve this is currently before the Senate. This legislation requires the states and territories to have a publicly available housing and homelessness plan.

Question agreed to.