MEMBER for Mallee Anne Webster has been elected to a House of Representatives standing committee to investigate factors that contribute to people becoming homeless and identify opportunities to prevent homelessness.
The Social Policy and Legal Affairs inquiry will also examine ways to better support the homeless and those at risk.
Dr Webster said she was pleased to be a member of the committee to investigate homelessness, which was “a very real issue” across the Mallee.
She said more than 116,000 people were estimated to be homeless in Australia on census night in 2016.
“It was estimated in the 2016 census that there were 393 homeless people in Mallee — sadly, on anecdotal evidence, this number has increased,” Dr Webster said.
“The Australian Government is concerned about homelessness and making sure we as a government do everything we can to minimise the amount of people who are sleeping rough or in overcrowded dwellings.
“There are many very good organisations across Mallee who provide care and intervention in this space and I thank them all for the work they do.”
Homelessness includes people living in severely crowded dwellings, people living in temporary accommodation and rough sleepers.
Committee chair Andrew Wallace said there were thousands of people experiencing homelessness in Australia each night.
“We know that there are many pathways that can lead to homelessness and through this inquiry we are hoping to understand how we can better support those who face it, and help some of the most vulnerable in our community,” Mr Wallace said.
“There is a range of services available to support people who are homeless or at risk and the committee is particularly interested in hearing from communities around Australia about approaches that are working well, and ideas for improvement.”
The committee will accept written submissions until April 9 and further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference, is available on the inquiry webpage.
