Thursday, 1 August 2024

Homelessness

Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (18:34): (1022) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Housing. So here we are: 30,000 people are homeless in Victoria, yet recent reports tell us there are 100,000 vacant properties in Melbourne. This is what happens when greed, wealth and apathy drive housing policy. Yesterday we stood on the steps of Parliament with 6000 origami houses to mark Homelessness Week, which commences next week. To mark this week the Greens are calling on the government to support our bill to make housing a human right and to build 100,000 public homes, because this is how we end homelessness in Victoria. Public housing ends homelessness, yet this Labor government is planning to demolish public housing and hand this public land over to private developers so that property investors and the mega wealthy can continue to get richer. In the meantime rates of homelessness continue to rise, meaning more and more Victorians sleep on the streets, in their cars and tents or have to couch-surf.

Make no mistake, this is a failure of the people in charge. Homelessness can be ended if only there is the political will to do what is right. All of you here talk about how terrible homelessness is, but why has there been no tangible change? Where are the 100,000 public homes we need, the fully funded homelessness services? What about making housing a human right? The lack of action makes it clear where you really stand. Governments in Australia used to see the provision of housing as a core part of their duty, but this Labor government is systematically dismantling public housing. You sell off and demolish people’s homes and let property investors rule over the housing market. They have your full support to buy their third or even their 10th home whilst everyone else languishes. Those least fortunate become homeless. Thirty thousand people are homeless on any given night in Victoria, and there are about 100,000 people on the public housing waiting list, waiting and hoping that the next call they get will be one telling them that they have secured a place in public housing.

The right to having a house is more than just a roof over your head; it is about having a secure place to call home. But now, as your government plans to demolish 44 public-housing towers, thousands of residents are being forced into insecure housing, not knowing where they are going to end up, and even homelessness. It is time we stop pretending ending homelessness is an impossible problem. It is within our reach, not at some distant point in the future but within the decade. So I ask the minister to work with us to pass this bill and make housing a human right and build the 100,000 homes that are needed to end housing insecurity. To every representative in this place who is planning to go to a Homelessness Week event for a photo op next week, remember that it is your responsibility to do the right thing.