❓ Mr. Krsticevic questions the Premier on how the government will measure success in reducing homelessness, given the high number of people experiencing it. The Premier outlines a 10-year strategy, highlights past initiatives, and suggests increasing the Newstart allowance.
AnsweredQoN 865Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOMELESSNESS
865. Mr A. KRSTICEVIC to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Noting that more than 9 000
people are experiencing homelessness each night in Western Australia, how will
the Premier measure the success of his government in significantly reducing
homelessness, and when will he achieve it?
865. Mr A. KRSTICEVIC to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Noting that more than 9 000
people are experiencing homelessness each night in Western Australia, how will
the Premier measure the success of his government in significantly reducing
homelessness, and when will he achieve it?
AnswerView source ↗
We are working on a 10-year
strategy, to be released later this year or early next year, to try to drive
down and hopefully eliminate homelessness. It is a difficult thing to deal with
because we are dealing with individuals—with people—whose
issues are sometimes complex. Sometimes those issues involve mental health,
sometimes they involve criminal records, sometimes it is family and domestic
violence and sometimes it is drug use. They are difficult things to deal with.
We can look at some of the things
we have done. We have reinstated financial counselling, which was cut by the
last government, to provide people with assistance to get themselves back on
their feet—to give people a hand up rather than a handout. We have
increased funding for the hardship utility grant scheme to help people with
their bills. We increased the energy assistance payment, in particular for
older Western Australians. We have kept fees and charges to the lowest level in
13 years. For all their eight and a half years of record revenues in
government, members opposite drove up the state's debt to a record,
unheard of level and provided the biggest deficits of any state in the country.
While they were doing that, they also put up fees and charges by record levels—water
and electricity charges went up by over 80 per cent. On average, it was an
increase of 10 per cent a year or thereabouts.
One thing that could be done is
that the Newstart allowance could be lifted. If the commonwealth wanted to
spend some money to boost economic activity, increasing the Newstart allowance
is one thing that would do that, because people who are on Newstart spend all
their money. Considering that Newstart has not kept pace anywhere near the age
pension, for instance, I think the commonwealth could do something about
Newstart. That could assist with homelessness
and assist people who are in trouble. It could also assist in getting spending
going in the nation's economy.
strategy, to be released later this year or early next year, to try to drive
down and hopefully eliminate homelessness. It is a difficult thing to deal with
because we are dealing with individuals—with people—whose
issues are sometimes complex. Sometimes those issues involve mental health,
sometimes they involve criminal records, sometimes it is family and domestic
violence and sometimes it is drug use. They are difficult things to deal with.
We can look at some of the things
we have done. We have reinstated financial counselling, which was cut by the
last government, to provide people with assistance to get themselves back on
their feet—to give people a hand up rather than a handout. We have
increased funding for the hardship utility grant scheme to help people with
their bills. We increased the energy assistance payment, in particular for
older Western Australians. We have kept fees and charges to the lowest level in
13 years. For all their eight and a half years of record revenues in
government, members opposite drove up the state's debt to a record,
unheard of level and provided the biggest deficits of any state in the country.
While they were doing that, they also put up fees and charges by record levels—water
and electricity charges went up by over 80 per cent. On average, it was an
increase of 10 per cent a year or thereabouts.
One thing that could be done is
that the Newstart allowance could be lifted. If the commonwealth wanted to
spend some money to boost economic activity, increasing the Newstart allowance
is one thing that would do that, because people who are on Newstart spend all
their money. Considering that Newstart has not kept pace anywhere near the age
pension, for instance, I think the commonwealth could do something about
Newstart. That could assist with homelessness
and assist people who are in trouble. It could also assist in getting spending
going in the nation's economy.
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