Inquiry into Homelessness in Victoria
Hearings and Transcripts
The Committee is holding public hearings into this inquiry on the following dates:
| Melbourne - 22 November 2019 | Bairnsdale - 2 December 2019 |
| Morwell - 3 December 2019 | Melbourne - 12 February 2020 |
| Whittlesea - 27 February 2020 | Shepparton - 11 March 2020 |
| Wangaratta - 12 March 2020 | Dandenong - TO BE CONFIRMED |
| Footscray - TO BE CONFIRMED |
Further information regarding the Committee's public hearing schedule will be posted here as it becomes available.
Corrected transcripts of these hearings will also be published here when finalised by the Committee.
Thursday 12 March 2020
The Ovens Room, The Quality Hotel Gateway Wangaratta, 29-37 Ryley Street Wangaratta Victoria 3677
| Time | Witness | Transcripts |
| 9.30 am | Rural City of Wangaratta Jamie Chubb, Director - Community Wellbeing |
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| 10.15 am | Women's Health Goulburn North East Amanda Kelly, CEO |
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| 11.15 am | Darran Stonehouse Lecturer - Social Work, La Trobe University |
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| 12.00 pm | NESAY (North East Support & Action For Youth Inc.) Leah Waring, CEO Claire Anderson, Community Services Manager Georgie Gray, Youth & Family Services Manager |
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| 1.30 pm | Junction Support Services Michelle Fell, Client Services Manager Katharine Hodgens, Senior Manager |
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| 2.15 pm | Towong Shire Council Lenny Jenner, Acting CEO |
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| 3.15 pm | Community Comment • Michelle Hamer • Cassandra Pollock • Sue Ingleton • Leah Khoo • Kirsten Seaver |
Wednesday 11 March 2020
The Connection, Shepparton, 7287 Midland Hwy, Shepparton VIC 3630
| Time | Witness | Transcripts |
| 9.30 am | Berry Street, Shepparton Youth Foyer Anita McCurdy, Education First Youth Foyer Manager Shepparton Brotherhood of St Laurence Mark Cox, Foyer Practice Dr Joseph Borlagdan, Foyer Research and Evaluation |
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| 10.15 am | Shadac Inc (The Cottage Shepparton) Maria Hutchison, Director Rob Bryant, Founder Timothy Ridgeway, Support Worker |
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| 10.45 am | The Bridge Youth Services Shepparton Melinda Lawley, CEO Renae Ford, Program Manager - Youth & Family Support |
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| 11.30 am | Greater Shepparton City Council Cr Seema Abdullah, Mayor Kaye Thomson, Director Community |
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| 12.15 pm | Primary Care Connect Shepparton Rebecca Lorains, CEO |
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| 1.45 pm | Wintringham Specialist Aged Care Bryan Lipmann, CEO Jane Barnes, Chief of Staff Gayle Reece, Regional Community Care and Outreach Manager, Cresswick, Shepparton and Geelong |
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| 2.15 pm |
VincentCare Berry Street Childhood Institute |
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| 3.15 pm | Beyond Housing Catherine Jefferies, Client Services Manager Laura Harris, Business Development Manager |
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| 4.00 pm | Community Comment • Father Simon Robinson • Chris Blizzard • Allan Mitchell • Kim O’Keeffe • Patricia Moran • Brenda Keenan • Kelly James • Aaron Gilhooley • Vicki Scott • Zafer Coskun |
Thursday 27 February 2020
Galada Community Centre, 10A Forum Way, Epping VIC 3076
| Time | Witness | Transcripts |
| 9.30 am | Whittlesea Community Connections Belinda Leon, Manager – Community Support Emma Antonetti, Equity and Impact Manager |
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| 10.00 am | City of Whittlesea Carmen Faelis, Team Leader Social Policy and Planning Mitchell Shire Council Jo Wilson, Manager Community Strengthening |
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| 11.00 am | Berry Street (Northern Region), Eaglemont Office Leanne Roberts, Head of Public Policy and Media |
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| 11.45 am | WISHIN (Women's Information, Support and Housing in the North) Jade Blakkarly, CEO Elizabeth Morgan House Aboriginal Women’s Service Jo Doherty, Practice Lead |
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| 1.00 pm | Haven; Home, Safe Jo Smith, General Manager - Support Services South VincentCare Northern Community Hub Quinn Pawson, CEO Paul Turton, General Manager Homelessness Services Tony Clarke, Hub Manager, Northern Community Hub, Glenroy Grace Hyde, Manager, Initial Assessment and Planning team |
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| 2.00 pm | Hope Street Youth and Family Services Donna Bennett, CEO Jennifer McAughtrie, Operations Manager |
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| 2.45 pm | DPV Health Whittlesea Gerda Zimmermann, Senior Housing Case Manager |
 Transcript202.64 KB |
| 3.30 pm | Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd Julie Bamblett, Case Manager Karin Williams, Manager – Bert Williams Aboriginal Youth Services Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) Vickianne Purcell, Program Manager Tracey Brown, Senior Caseworker, Wilam Support Service |
Wednesday 12 February 2020
Federation Room, Parliament House, East Melbourne
| Time | Witness | Transcripts |
| 9.15 am | The HoMie Store Nicholas Pearce, Director Danielle Howe, Evaluations Manager |
Transcript123.98 KB |
| 9.45 am | Hon. Wade Noonan Executive Director, WoMEDA; Associate Director of Social Enterprise and Investment, RMIT University; Chair, JobsBank |
Transcript222.77 KB |
| 10.30 am | John O'Callaghan Deakin University Nick Jahnecke, Teaching scholar, School of Architecture and Built Environment |
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11.15 am
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Panel Discussion Housing All Australians Quest Apartment Hotels PwC Australia Metricon Community Sector Banking Simonds Group Brad Paddon, Director |
Transcript283.84 KB |
| 1.15 pm | Infoxchange David Spriggs, CEO |
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| 1.45 pm | Kids Under Cover Sarah Davies, Board member; CEO of Philanthropy Australia Jo Swift, CEO Brittnie Stock-Lopez, former Kids Under Cover client |
Transcript203.80 KB |
| 2.30 pm | Homes for Homes/Big Issue Peter Danks, Advisor Tracy Longo, National Operations Manager, Homes for Homes |
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| 3.15 pm | Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation Dr Catherine Brown, CEO; Expert panel member, Social Impact Investment Taskforce, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Erin Dolan, Program Manager, Affordable Housing & Homelessness |
Transcript209.88 KB |
Tuesday 3 December 2019
Conference Room, Morwell Club, 136 Helen Street, Morwell
| Time | Witness | Transcripts |
| 10.15 am | Bass Coast Shire Council Chris Wightman, Coordinator Social and Community Planning Nina Barry-Macaulay, Senior Advocacy Officer, Bass Coast Shire Council |
Transcript153.66 KB |
| 11.00 am | The Orange Door Emma Dobson (Project Coordinator, Anglicare Victoria) Amelia Vincent (Advanced Family Violence Practice Leader, Quantum Support Services) Alicia Hudson (RAMP Coordinator, Quantum Support Services) Teressa Watt (Team Leader, Latrobe Community Health) |
Transcript152.27 KB |
| 11.45 am | Quantum Support Services Naomi Webb, Practice Leader - Advocacy and Support Cheryl Barnes, Manager Homelessness Services Nicole Larkin, Practice Leader - Homelessness and Support |
Transcript314.41 KB |
| 12.30 pm | Community Housing (Vic) Limited Courtney Eacott, Coordinator Homelessness Services, Gippsland Aleisha Olivier, Brief Intervention worker |
Transcript163.39 KB |
| 1.45 pm | Salvation Army Erin Price, State Manager, East Victoria Homelessness |
Transcript142.64 KB |
| 2.30 pm | Uniting Gippsland Heidi Hunter, Practice Leader, Client Services |
Transcript143.37 KB |
| 3.15 pm | Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) Corey Harrison, Executive Manager Navinda Wickramasinghe, Team Leader – Youth Services |
Transcript133.33 KB |
Monday 2 December 2019
Lakes Room, Bairnsdale RSL, 2 Bairnsdale-Forge Creek Rd, Bairnsdale
| Time | Witness | Transcripts |
| 11.00 am | Gippsland & East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-operative Ltd Ryan Hedley, Manager Jamie Williamson, CEO Christofer Beal, Operations Manager |
Transcript170.40 KB |
| 11.45 am | Community Housing (Vic) Limited Robert Ashton, Initial Assessment and Planning Officer; Outreach Officer, Fulham Correctional Centre Sale Paula Healey, Private Rental Assistance Program worker |
Transcript150.42 KB |
| 12.30 pm | Gippsland East Local Learning & Employment Network Inc. Jane Ponting, Executive Officer |
Transcript112.17 KB |
| 1.00 pm | Allan T Coe, Wiradjuri, Eora, Yorta Yorta Elder | Transcript96.77 KB |
| 1.30 pm | Gippsland Women’s Health Service Melanie Brown, Principal Strategic Advisor - Family Violence Chris McNamara, Gippsland Homelessness Network Coordinator |
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| 2.15 pm | Gippsland Homelessness Network Chris McNamara, Gippsland Homelessness Network Coordinator |
Transcript215.58 KB |
| 3.00 pm | Salvation Army Captains David and Claire Jones |
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| 3.30 pm | Orbost Regional Health Louise McCarthy, Director Primary and Community Services Kathy Woods, Housing Support Worker |
Transcript122.46 KB |
| 4.00pm | Gippsland Lakes Community Health Richard Evans, Family, Youth and Childrens Services Manager Donna Pendergast, Homelessness Support Program Case Manager |
Transcript129.28 KB |
Friday 22 November 2019
Legislative Council Committee Room (LCCR), Parliament House, East Melbourne
| Time | Witness | Transcripts |
| 9.30 am | RMIT University Professor Guy Johnson, Inaugural Unison Chair of Urban Housing and Homelessness |
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| 10.15 am | Council to Homeless Persons Kate Colvin, Manager Policy & Communications |
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| 11.00 am | Sacred Heart Mission Cathy Humphrey, CEO; Chair, Council to Homeless Persons Board |
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| 11.45 am | Launch Housing & HomeGround Real Estate Bevan Warner, CEO Karren Walker, Manager - Entry Points |
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| 1.15 pm | The Salvation Army Major Jenny Begent, National Head of Social Mission Livia Carusi, General Manager Homelessness Australia Shane Austin, General Manager Homelessness Victoria; Social Mission Coordinator Victoria |
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| 2.00 pm | Justice Connect Samantha Sowerwine, Principal Lawyer, Homeless Law Cameron Lavery, Manager & Principal Lawyer, Homeless Law |
Transcript226.57 KB |
| 2.45 pm | Victorian Council of Social Service Emma King, CEO Karen Taranto, Policy Advisor |
Transcript249.98 KB |
| 3.30 pm | Aboriginal Housing Victoria Darren Smith, CEO Jenny Samms, Special Adviser Peter Jones, Senior Policy Officer |
Transcript158.88 KB |