Page 3248 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 August 2012
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events. She goes to the CEO sleepout and she talks big, but, when she is offered a practical solution, what does she do? She creates barriers. Perhaps this government and its ministers are even jealous of a community-based organisation that is willing and able to create a solution, albeit a temporary one, on their own initiative and able to implement them quickly to meet a need.
In supporting this motion, I would like members to consider two scenarios. Jack is homeless. He spends the night sleeping under a bridge in the damp, in freezing temperatures with a few sheets of cardboard and an inadequate sleeping bag. There is no danger to him of lack of exit signs. He does not have to worry about whether there will be a shower in the morning—he knows there will not be. Even if there was food for breakfast, there is no table to put it on and there will be no-one to talk to him and give him a help along. John, on the other hand, spends the night in a warm bed in a building that only has one shower or maybe none at all, waking up to a healthy breakfast and being cared for by people who want to make a difference in our community. Who would you rather be, Madam Deputy Speaker—Jack or John?
This, of course, is a rhetorical question because the answer is so obvious. It is a pity that this government and its minister in Minister Burch cannot see how obvious this answer should be. I commend Ms Bresnan and I commend first and foremost the safe shelter group for their initiative.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Community Services, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Women and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (7.59): I thank Ms Bresnan for bringing this motion on. We will be supporting the motion. The government welcomes the motion and the government recognises the community’s initiative in finding new ways to help people who are sleeping rough in Canberra. These are indeed some of the most vulnerable members of our community. The idea of utilising church halls to provide overnight shelter for homeless men is one such initiative.
Addressing the needs of homeless people, and rough sleepers and homeless youths in particular, remains a strong priority for this government. We are working hard on this issue in close partnership with many existing service providers, as well as delivering our own programs.
None of us wants to see people sleeping rough. I support community initiatives in this area. As we should all reflect, the whole community has a role to play in helping those that are homeless. Indeed, I have spoken often about the fantastic work that church-based organisations carry out for some of the most vulnerable members of our community—for example, St Vincent, with their street to home program, and, more recently, the Salvation Army with its support for homeless youth.
However, the government must ensure that services provided to homeless people do meet standards such as safety. That is where concerns have been raised about the initial proposal from the safe shelter group. I recognise that Ms Bresnan has the common sense to recognise that regardless of what the response is, it needs to be one that is done in the safest possible way.
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