Page 4052 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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You may be forgiven for thinking that, in a city as well off and as lovely as Canberra, homelessness is not a problem. But I think we all know that in the ACT on any given night there are almost 2,000 people without a safe and secure place to call home. Eliminating violence against women would dramatically reduce homelessness in Canberra and Australia.
But our homelessness system is blocked. We have people entering but unable to leave the homelessness system. There is a lack of exits from homelessness, including a lack of alternative housing, whether it is because of the long public housing waiting list, a lack of crisis accommodation or a lack of financial means, and this forces many women to choose between sleeping rough or staying in a violent situation. When children are added into the equation, it makes it an even more difficult choice.
Domestic violence and relationship issues are cited as the most common cause for women seeking assistance from specialist homelessness services and account for 26.4 per cent of the reasons given by all people, male and female, that they are experiencing homelessness. Domestic violence is likely to be a higher percentage cause than this, because people might answer that the reason for their homelessness is financial difficulties. But they have financial difficulties because they have left a violent relationship. So that is the secondary cause there.
Nearly 5,500 Canberrans were assisted by homelessness services last year, but an additional 500 people were turned away. In fact, the ACT had the highest percentage of unmet need for short-term accommodation in Australia, with nearly half of the people needing it turned away. Can I say that I believe the use of hotels, motels and caravan parks is not an adequate solution for women escaping domestic violence.
I would like to applaud some recent changes whereby crisis services are increasingly allowing pets to accompany people in homelessness services. Domestic and family violence can include harming a pet in front of family members, and research shows that the threat of harm to, or death of, a family pet if the woman leaves sometimes convinces a woman to stay with a violent partner.
It is our responsibility to address not only the causes but also the consequences of domestic violence. We must continue to address the causes as well as seek remedies.
I would like to acknowledge the work of a great number of homelessness services and individuals here in Canberra who work tirelessly to improve the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens. They work every day to end the cycle of homelessness, the cycle of violence, the cycle of despair and hopelessness.
Creating and participating in the public conversation about domestic violence will go a long way to raising awareness and bringing about change, and I would like to commend Mrs Jones on her motion recognising White Ribbon Day.
MRS JONES (Molonglo) (11.53): I will speak to the amendment and close, because we are supporting it. Sometimes in this place we speak lots of words and I worry about how they translate into actions. I worry about women today who are not sure what is going to happen to them tonight. I support the amendment the government has
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