David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today the Senate finally passed the package of bills that set up the Housing Australia Future Fund. This is great news, but it is only the start. Tonight one in two Australian children seeking refuge in a homelessness shelter will be turned away—one in two—and that alarming statistic doesn't account for the thousands more who won't even show up asking for help. Children make up 17 per cent of Australia's homeless population, but that figure too is lower than the reality. The data doesn't accurately capture the depth of this crisis.

A fortnight ago I visited the PCYC out near the Canberra Airport. They're doing amazing work with young people. They're helping them get their lives back on track and get back into school. They're giving them the support that they need. At the end of spending time with one of the groups one of the team leaders said, 'If you have one thing to ask of politicians, what would it be?' The answer was: a homeless shelter for kids. This is the reality for a number of children in communities across the country. While there is an acute shortage of social and affordable housing we have to continue to focus on youth homelessness and having the right safe places for people to go so that they can sleep in a safe place and get the support that they need.

Unaccompanied homeless minors need to be identified in the next National Housing and Homelessness Agreement as a standalone priority cohort. Ending child and youth homelessness needs to be the next challenge we tackle.