❓ Question regarding the government's plan to address the potential increase in homelessness after the moratorium on rental increases and evictions is lifted, and the adequacy of the planned increase in public housing. The Minister responds by defending the government's actions and criticising the opposition's record on homelessness.
AnsweredQoN 939Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOMELESSNESS
939. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Minister for Community Services:
I have a supplementary question.
Does the minister share with the sector the concerns it has about the worsening homelessness crisis once the moratorium on
rental increases and evictions is lifted, and is the minister confident that an additional 2 600 public houses over a decade will be adequate to serve the
needs of the homeless?
The SPEAKER : There was a lot
of preamble there. Is the minister happy to take the question?
939. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Minister for Community Services:
I have a supplementary question.
Does the minister share with the sector the concerns it has about the worsening homelessness crisis once the moratorium on
rental increases and evictions is lifted, and is the minister confident that an additional 2 600 public houses over a decade will be adequate to serve the
needs of the homeless?
The SPEAKER : There was a lot
of preamble there. Is the minister happy to take the question?
AnswerView source ↗
It was an interesting supplementary
question because there was a whole lot of new information in there.
I can assure the house as well as
the public that we are working very closely with the community sector to reform
our current homelessness system, which is something that the other side,
including the Leader of the Opposition, played no role in at all while they
were in government. I remember that the Leader of the Opposition's
contribution was to say that the community sector was paid to do a job and it
should do it. That was her contribution when she was asked about the City of
Perth's response to homelessness in that precinct.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, it is not your question.
Ms
S.F. McGURK : We are working very
closely on our Housing First approach, on the best evidence available for long-term outcomes for people who are currently homeless, on reforming the
system through the No Wrong Door initiative and the By Name List and the like,
and on back-of-house reforms to make sure that homeless people are best served.
We are putting new resources into a system that we are now putting over $90 million
a year into. We have increased that state contribution to include over $70 million.
This time last year, we announced Housing First and the building of two Common
Ground facilities. I am confident that we are not only doing our bit as a state
government to address this issue, but also working with the community sector.
I would be interested to hear from
the Leader of the Opposition what she did for homelessness when in government.
It was not much. People like the Leader of the Opposition and the member for
Carine are born again when it comes to understanding and being concerned about
the homeless. In eight and a half years in government, they did very, very
little.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo, you cannot have a comment on everything, although you do.
Ms
S.F. McGURK : I am very proud of
the engagement that we have had with, and of the support that we have given to, the community sector, and of the policy work that we have done and the
extra resources that we have brought to the effort to address homelessness, not
only the crisis response, but also the long-term, sustainable solutions for Western
Australia.
question because there was a whole lot of new information in there.
I can assure the house as well as
the public that we are working very closely with the community sector to reform
our current homelessness system, which is something that the other side,
including the Leader of the Opposition, played no role in at all while they
were in government. I remember that the Leader of the Opposition's
contribution was to say that the community sector was paid to do a job and it
should do it. That was her contribution when she was asked about the City of
Perth's response to homelessness in that precinct.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, it is not your question.
Ms
S.F. McGURK : We are working very
closely on our Housing First approach, on the best evidence available for long-term outcomes for people who are currently homeless, on reforming the
system through the No Wrong Door initiative and the By Name List and the like,
and on back-of-house reforms to make sure that homeless people are best served.
We are putting new resources into a system that we are now putting over $90 million
a year into. We have increased that state contribution to include over $70 million.
This time last year, we announced Housing First and the building of two Common
Ground facilities. I am confident that we are not only doing our bit as a state
government to address this issue, but also working with the community sector.
I would be interested to hear from
the Leader of the Opposition what she did for homelessness when in government.
It was not much. People like the Leader of the Opposition and the member for
Carine are born again when it comes to understanding and being concerned about
the homeless. In eight and a half years in government, they did very, very
little.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo, you cannot have a comment on everything, although you do.
Ms
S.F. McGURK : I am very proud of
the engagement that we have had with, and of the support that we have given to, the community sector, and of the policy work that we have done and the
extra resources that we have brought to the effort to address homelessness, not
only the crisis response, but also the long-term, sustainable solutions for Western
Australia.
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