❓ Mr Rundle questions the Premier on the prioritisation of housing for victims of family and domestic violence, citing high rates of homelessness. The Premier defends the government's record, highlighting significant investment and criticising the opposition's actions.
AnsweredQoN 466Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE — CRISIS ACCOMMODATION
466. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Premier:
I
refer to data used by the ABC that notes that Western Australia has the highest
rate of women who have experienced family and domestic violence
approaching homelessness services. I also note data from Shelter WA that notes
that 42 per cent of all people seeking housing assistance cite family and
domestic violence as their primary reason. It being Homelessness Week, after
seven years in government and billions of dollars in surpluses, why has the
Premier failed to prioritise housing for families and individuals experiencing
family and domestic violence?
VIOLENCE — CRISIS ACCOMMODATION
466. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Premier:
I
refer to data used by the ABC that notes that Western Australia has the highest
rate of women who have experienced family and domestic violence
approaching homelessness services. I also note data from Shelter WA that notes
that 42 per cent of all people seeking housing assistance cite family and
domestic violence as their primary reason. It being Homelessness Week, after
seven years in government and billions of dollars in surpluses, why has the
Premier failed to prioritise housing for families and individuals experiencing
family and domestic violence?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
We regard homelessness and housing as one of our key priority areas, which is
the reason that members have just heard the Minister for Housing talk about all
the great initiatives that have gone on in our housing portfolio to continue to
drive the availability of housing stock in both our buyer and rental markets.
In fact, in the last budget alone, we allocated $92.2 million in new funding
for homelessness initiatives— $92.2 million.
As the Minister for Housing has just observed, we have done a range of things,
including the wholesale purchase of hotels to provide crisis housing for
people who are suffering from homelessness. In more general terms, we have
spent $3.2 billion on housing and homelessness measures since 2021–22.
On the subject of the 2024–25
budget, of course, the member may recall some of our housing sector
stakeholders regarding it as the budget that they had been waiting
decades for. There was a significant injection of funds into housing services.
As part of that package, we announced $4 million for more crisis and transition
beds, including expanding two existing rapid rehousing initiatives and
establishing a safe house in Leonora.
We
spent $17.3 million for wraparound supports, recovery services and key system
reforms. We spent $25.6 million to expand family and domestic violence response
teams to seven days a week, $7 million to include adult community corrections officers in the teams, $1.6 million for an essential information
point to support information sharing and $6.2 million for workforce development
initiatives. All this includes our new one-stop FDV hub in Perth for people who
are in danger of becoming homeless and $3.1 million to boost family and
domestic violence counselling. I think it is fair to say that I do not think
that this state has seen a Minister for Housing like the one we have at the
moment when it comes to this particular part of the housing journey, which is
those people who are tipping into homelessness. Homelessness impacts on the
minister's electorate specifically, but it is also something he feels
passionately about.
Of course, we have been busy doing
other things as well, and that is of course opposing a key Liberal Party
candidate's efforts as the Lord Mayor of Perth to close a women's
homelessness service in East Perth. I wish we did not have to spend our energy
fighting those members opposite to keep these facilities open. When the member
for Roe is thinking about homelessness and homelessness services, he should
look to his right. The biggest enemy of homelessness services is the Liberal
Party. It closed that service down. It opposed the relocation of that service.
The Liberal Party has done everything it can to oppose homelessness services in
East Perth and North Perth, so that is to whom the member should be asking his
questions.
We regard homelessness and housing as one of our key priority areas, which is
the reason that members have just heard the Minister for Housing talk about all
the great initiatives that have gone on in our housing portfolio to continue to
drive the availability of housing stock in both our buyer and rental markets.
In fact, in the last budget alone, we allocated $92.2 million in new funding
for homelessness initiatives— $92.2 million.
As the Minister for Housing has just observed, we have done a range of things,
including the wholesale purchase of hotels to provide crisis housing for
people who are suffering from homelessness. In more general terms, we have
spent $3.2 billion on housing and homelessness measures since 2021–22.
On the subject of the 2024–25
budget, of course, the member may recall some of our housing sector
stakeholders regarding it as the budget that they had been waiting
decades for. There was a significant injection of funds into housing services.
As part of that package, we announced $4 million for more crisis and transition
beds, including expanding two existing rapid rehousing initiatives and
establishing a safe house in Leonora.
We
spent $17.3 million for wraparound supports, recovery services and key system
reforms. We spent $25.6 million to expand family and domestic violence response
teams to seven days a week, $7 million to include adult community corrections officers in the teams, $1.6 million for an essential information
point to support information sharing and $6.2 million for workforce development
initiatives. All this includes our new one-stop FDV hub in Perth for people who
are in danger of becoming homeless and $3.1 million to boost family and
domestic violence counselling. I think it is fair to say that I do not think
that this state has seen a Minister for Housing like the one we have at the
moment when it comes to this particular part of the housing journey, which is
those people who are tipping into homelessness. Homelessness impacts on the
minister's electorate specifically, but it is also something he feels
passionately about.
Of course, we have been busy doing
other things as well, and that is of course opposing a key Liberal Party
candidate's efforts as the Lord Mayor of Perth to close a women's
homelessness service in East Perth. I wish we did not have to spend our energy
fighting those members opposite to keep these facilities open. When the member
for Roe is thinking about homelessness and homelessness services, he should
look to his right. The biggest enemy of homelessness services is the Liberal
Party. It closed that service down. It opposed the relocation of that service.
The Liberal Party has done everything it can to oppose homelessness services in
East Perth and North Perth, so that is to whom the member should be asking his
questions.
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