Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the 2019 Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot found that there were no affordable properties in any capital city for a single person on Newstart or Youth Allowance,

(ii) the low level of appropriate and affordable properties available to rent for households on the Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance, strongly indicates the likelihood that many of those households will be living in housing stress or housing that is not appropriate,

(iii) the lack of affordable housing means that people on Newstart and Youth Allowance are spending a disproportionately high percentage of their income support on housing, resulting in them not being able to afford other essentials like food, energy and health, and

(iv) poverty is a well-established social determinant of health, including psychological health, and persistent poverty plays a demonstrable role in increasing levels of psychological distress; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to immediately increase Newstart and Youth Allowance to allow people in our community to have dignity of choice and to help address housing stress.

Question agreed to.