❓ A parliamentary question regarding the WA government's homelessness initiatives is met with a detailed response highlighting investments and criticising the opposition's approach to the issue.
AnsweredQoN 727Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS — GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE
727. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Homelessness:
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's significant investment to tackle
homelessness and support Western Australians into secure housing.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on key homelessness measures being delivered by this
government to support the most vulnerable members of our community?
(2) Can the minister advise the house if he is aware
of any attempts to undermine the government's investment in
homelessness support measures?
727. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Homelessness:
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's significant investment to tackle
homelessness and support Western Australians into secure housing.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on key homelessness measures being delivered by this
government to support the most vulnerable members of our community?
(2) Can the minister advise the house if he is aware
of any attempts to undermine the government's investment in
homelessness support measures?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Churchlands for her commitment to supporting homelessness
services in Perth, Western Australia. I have
said this before: our government takes the rental market pressures very
seriously. That is why we have made a record
investment of $3.2 billion in housing and homelessness services since 2021.
That includes a $140 million uplift for more than 120 critical homeless
services across Western Australia. We provided additional funding of $4.5 million
for Entrypoint, which is the referral centre.
We have also provided additional funds of $15.7 million for the Housing First
approach, specifically to roll out to
Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie, as part of our efforts to support the
regional landlord model. We continue to work on a range of other programs, like
with the member for Kalgoorlie, with $2.2 million to assist the Return
to Country program.
Today I joined the Premier and the
Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence to help open the new
Ruah Centre for Women and Children in Northbridge. This critical hub is unique
and a first for Australia. It will provide both supported accommodation but
also healing and recovery services and wraparound services. It is expected to
help at least 400 to 600 women. On the site itself, it will provide housing for
13 women and up to 26 children. These are all substantial efforts. Compare that
with the Liberal leadership. Can I say this about leadership when it comes to
these matters? What is critical is that we have a choice. We have a choice
whether we work to people's worst fears or we try to lift people up,
are resolute and honest with the community about the challenges, and help and
work with people and the community to come with us.
What we are seeing from the Liberal
leadership—the Leader of the Liberal Party, Hon Steve Martin and the Liberal leader-in-waiting, the Liberal
candidate for Churchlands—is a leadership that does not want to be honest with the community but, rather, preys on people's worst
fears. As I outlined yesterday, we can see that in the Liberal Party's
policy document. When it comes to social housing, the only policy that has been announced is in the crime section. We can see
it with the Liberal candidate for Churchlands' approach to
homelessness services. I want to be clear: as I have said before in this house,
they say different things. They try to rewrite history. I note that the Lord
Mayor said in his election document that the city had delivered four new
homelessness shelters. That is not the truth; he delivered one, and I will come
back to that. He tweeted consistently about that service. In fact, every night
he would talk about the number of women who were given safety in the Safe Night
Space. I need to put this on the record. We can compare those words with real
actions and the decisions that he made. Remember, it was the Liberal candidate
for Churchlands who preyed on people's worst fears when he said in a column
—
Clean it up. I make no apologies for
this, the homeless need to be moved out of the Hay and Murray Street malls and
the surrounding areas. Forcibly, if that's what it takes.
We need to remember that we are
talking about human suffering. He tweeted every day and was happy to spout the
achievement of a women's shelter, which I absolutely gave him credit
for at the time until he made a decision, despite a state government offer, to
shut down a women's service in domestic violence awareness week. He
shut that service down, but, worse still, he then campaigned against Ruah and
its alternative location for a Safe Night Space. He shut it down and then
campaigned against that location!
I say as a side note that the Lord
Mayor and Liberal candidate for Churchlands says this is an obsession. That is
what a narcissist would say. When you run for public office, you are subject to
scrutiny. When I ran as the Vincent mayor in 2017, Colin Barnett had no
hesitation in throwing me a jab or having a go at me. I accepted that as part
of public life. If you are aspiring to be in this Parliament, you have to be
subject to scrutiny and accountability, particularly when you are telling
people that you will be the future Liberal
Premier of this state. The point I make again and again is that there is a clear
divide between current and aspirational members of the Liberal Party and
this side. At every opportunity, they peddle fear about social housing and
homelessness. On this side, we tackle those issues earnestly while recognising
their complexity. Ultimately, we understand
that every person who is homeless or fleeing from domestic violence deserves support and deserves the opportunity to have a safe and secure home.
thank the member for Churchlands for her commitment to supporting homelessness
services in Perth, Western Australia. I have
said this before: our government takes the rental market pressures very
seriously. That is why we have made a record
investment of $3.2 billion in housing and homelessness services since 2021.
That includes a $140 million uplift for more than 120 critical homeless
services across Western Australia. We provided additional funding of $4.5 million
for Entrypoint, which is the referral centre.
We have also provided additional funds of $15.7 million for the Housing First
approach, specifically to roll out to
Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie, as part of our efforts to support the
regional landlord model. We continue to work on a range of other programs, like
with the member for Kalgoorlie, with $2.2 million to assist the Return
to Country program.
Today I joined the Premier and the
Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence to help open the new
Ruah Centre for Women and Children in Northbridge. This critical hub is unique
and a first for Australia. It will provide both supported accommodation but
also healing and recovery services and wraparound services. It is expected to
help at least 400 to 600 women. On the site itself, it will provide housing for
13 women and up to 26 children. These are all substantial efforts. Compare that
with the Liberal leadership. Can I say this about leadership when it comes to
these matters? What is critical is that we have a choice. We have a choice
whether we work to people's worst fears or we try to lift people up,
are resolute and honest with the community about the challenges, and help and
work with people and the community to come with us.
What we are seeing from the Liberal
leadership—the Leader of the Liberal Party, Hon Steve Martin and the Liberal leader-in-waiting, the Liberal
candidate for Churchlands—is a leadership that does not want to be honest with the community but, rather, preys on people's worst
fears. As I outlined yesterday, we can see that in the Liberal Party's
policy document. When it comes to social housing, the only policy that has been announced is in the crime section. We can see
it with the Liberal candidate for Churchlands' approach to
homelessness services. I want to be clear: as I have said before in this house,
they say different things. They try to rewrite history. I note that the Lord
Mayor said in his election document that the city had delivered four new
homelessness shelters. That is not the truth; he delivered one, and I will come
back to that. He tweeted consistently about that service. In fact, every night
he would talk about the number of women who were given safety in the Safe Night
Space. I need to put this on the record. We can compare those words with real
actions and the decisions that he made. Remember, it was the Liberal candidate
for Churchlands who preyed on people's worst fears when he said in a column
—
Clean it up. I make no apologies for
this, the homeless need to be moved out of the Hay and Murray Street malls and
the surrounding areas. Forcibly, if that's what it takes.
We need to remember that we are
talking about human suffering. He tweeted every day and was happy to spout the
achievement of a women's shelter, which I absolutely gave him credit
for at the time until he made a decision, despite a state government offer, to
shut down a women's service in domestic violence awareness week. He
shut that service down, but, worse still, he then campaigned against Ruah and
its alternative location for a Safe Night Space. He shut it down and then
campaigned against that location!
I say as a side note that the Lord
Mayor and Liberal candidate for Churchlands says this is an obsession. That is
what a narcissist would say. When you run for public office, you are subject to
scrutiny. When I ran as the Vincent mayor in 2017, Colin Barnett had no
hesitation in throwing me a jab or having a go at me. I accepted that as part
of public life. If you are aspiring to be in this Parliament, you have to be
subject to scrutiny and accountability, particularly when you are telling
people that you will be the future Liberal
Premier of this state. The point I make again and again is that there is a clear
divide between current and aspirational members of the Liberal Party and
this side. At every opportunity, they peddle fear about social housing and
homelessness. On this side, we tackle those issues earnestly while recognising
their complexity. Ultimately, we understand
that every person who is homeless or fleeing from domestic violence deserves support and deserves the opportunity to have a safe and secure home.
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