MEDIA RELEASE SENATOR THE HON JAN MCLUCAS Shadow Minister for Mental Health Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness Senator for Queensland Homelessness: we cant afford to ignore it Today marks the start of Homeless Persons’ Week, an opportunity for the Abbott Government to step up and give housing and homelessness policy the attention it needs. Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Senator Jan McLucas today attended Anglicare North Queensland’s Corporate Breakfast in Cairns to recognise the annual week that aims to raise awareness of people experiencing homelessness. Senator McLucas said it is important to continue to urge appropriate funding and resources from governments for housing and homelessness reform. “Federal Labor invested more in housing and homelessness than ever before,” Senator McLucas said. “This included establishing the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness which supports around 180 services, including critical support here in the Cairns region that is helping to break the cycle of homelessness.” “But since coming to office, the Abbott Government has savaged housing and homelessness programs. This includes cutting $44 million in this financial year alone from the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness and providing no certainty beyond June next year. “This means some of our region’s most vulnerable members of the community are at risk of being left further behind.” Senator McLucas said it was becoming more evident that the Abbott Government has little interest in housing and homelessness policy and investment. In their first 10 months, the Abbott Government has: • Delivered a $44 million cut to homelessness services in 2014-15 with no funding certainty beyond June 2015; • Abolished the National Rental Affordability Scheme which boosted the supply of affordable housing to lower income Australians; • Axed the Housing Help for Seniors program which was to deliver support for pensioners over age pension age who ‘downsize’ their home; • Scrapped the First Owners Saver Accounts which helped Australians to save for their first home and enter the housing market; • Abolished the Prime Minister’s Council on Homelessness; • Abolished the highly regarded National Housing Supply Council; • Disbanded the COAG Select Council on Housing and Homelessness; • Withdrawn the Commonwealth’s role from the community housing sector’s National Regulatory Council; and • Announced in the May budget there will be a further ‘review’ of all housing and homelessness programs for which no terms of reference, reporting dates or any detail has been released. Public hearings for the Senate Inquiry into Affordable Housing began last week. The inquiry was instigated by Senator McLucas to ensure the growing challenge of housing affordability remained in focus, particularly following the Abbott Government’s concerning de-prioritisation of housing and homelessness policy, debate and discussion. Homeless Persons’ Week runs from 4 – 10 August and aims to raise awareness of homelessness and the people it affects as well as celebrate the work that organisations and individuals do to help those experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Monday 4 August 2014 Media contact: Belinda Featherstone 4031 6009 - 0408 743 457
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 23:15:12 +0000
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