JASON CLARE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL SERVICES,
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES
MEMBER FOR BLAXLAND

SENATOR JENNY MCALLISTER
SHADOW CABINET SECRETARY
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE LABOR LEADER IN THE SENATE
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMMUNITIES AND THE PREVENTION OF FAMILY VIOLENCE
LABOR SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES

SILENCE ON SOCIAL HOUSING AND WOMEN’S SAFETY CAN’T STAND

In the lead up to the National Summit on Women’s Safety, the Morrison-Joyce Government’s silence on housing and domestic violence is deafening.

Federal Labor called on the government to put housing on the summit agenda two months ago.

They have failed to listen to the voices of advocates, experts and victim-survivors who have been crying out for social and affordable housing funding for years.

Any Government which claims to be listening to women and children would know that fixing the housing crisis is part of the answer too.

We have a housing crisis in Australia. 

It’s harder to buy a home today than ever before. It’s harder to rent than ever before. And there are more homeless Australians than ever before.

The biggest group of homeless Australians are women and children – a lot of them fleeing domestic violence, and last year 10,000 were turned away from refuges because there wasn’t a bed.

Refuges are full because there is not enough transitional and long term social housing for women to move into.

If Labor wins the next election we will act where this Government won’t.

We will establish the Housing Australia Future Fund, which will include $1.7 billion to directly address this issue:

• • $1.6 billion will be spent to build 4000 new social housing properties specifically allocated for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence.  
• • $100 million will be allocated for crisis and transitional housing options for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence, and older women on low incomes who are at risk of homelessness.
  
  

MONDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS: LEILA STENNETT (MCALLISTER), 0436 632 388
KATIE BOOTH (CLARE), 0450 609 427