Northern Metropolitan Region
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (14:30): (1673) My question is to the minister for housing. Minister, my constituent Rumana is a survivor of family violence and has been on the priority public housing list since 2019. The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing recently advised her that her application is being downgraded to the general register because she declined a housing offer which was unsafe. The property offered was less than 5 kilometres from her ex-partner, the person she fled from due to violence. The safety risk was not assessed appropriately by DFFH in the offer. She is now at risk of losing her priority status in the middle of a housing crisis, with over 65,000 people on the waitlist. She is terrified this will leave her and her children without a safe and stable place to live. Minister, will you commit to urgently reviewing Rumana’s case and ensuring that women fleeing family violence are not penalised for refusing unsafe housing?