Wednesday, 1 May 2024

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (09:55): For those in the chamber who have not yet seen the recent Bluey episode ‘The Sign’, can I recommend it to you. Be sure to grab a box of tissues. It is beautiful. It brought up so many different emotions for me. I thought about my own kids and how lucky we are to have a home. I thought about how we moved house when I was a kid many times, including to different cities. But – spoiler alert – I also thought about all the people who do not get the happy ending that the Heeler family do. They cannot afford to repay their mortgage and have to sell. They cannot afford rent and have to leave their home. They do not have a choice to stay. In regional Victoria the lack of affordable housing has a particularly devastating impact, with people being forced not just out of their home, but often out of their communities. The reason the Bluey episode connects with us is because it demonstrates so clearly what a home is. It is more than just a roof over your head – and even that would be okay for many people right now. Safety, security, stability and connection to others is something that everyone deserves, but far too many are being denied that because of a failure of governments to put the needs of all above the profits of a few.