Mission Australia says that the 2024 Federal Budget contains next to no new additional investment to seriously tackle Australia’s homelessness and housing emergency.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down the Albanese Labor Government’s second Budget on Tuesday, 14 May. The Budget includes a $9.3 billion surplus.
Mission Australia Executive Ben Carblis said that, despite some new funding to address homelessness, the Budget, “leans towards relatively small-scale contributions and contains very little new investment to tackle Australia’s homelessness and housing emergency.”
“We welcome some of the measures announced, including funding for crisis and transitional accommodation for young people and women and children escaping violence, and some extra investment in social and affordable housing,” Mr Carblis said.
“However, while any additional funding is welcome, the Government’s efforts lack the necessary scale to prevent homelessness in the first place, and to provide long-term relief to those without safe, secure and affordable homes. This is like bailing out a sinking boat with a bucket instead of repairing the leak.”
“It’s time the Government shifted from crisis solutions to prevention by investing in enough long-term social and affordable homes to meet the shortfall and by funding more homelessness prevention measures to stop the flood of homelessness in Australia.”
“While we acknowledge the Government’s intent to ease some of the pressures faced by those doing it tough, we’re dismayed by the lack of substantial increases to JobSeeker and other income support payments to help people weather rising rents and cost of living and avoid homelessness.”
“Australia likes to pride itself on being a nation where everyone gets a fair go. But in our communities, not everyone has a safe and secure home or enough to live on. The Federal Government can afford to fix this – but they don’t seem to be making ending poverty and homelessness their top priority.”
“As one of Australia’s largest community housing and community services providers, we stand ready to work with all levels of government to deliver housing and homelessness solutions and to end poverty, homelessness and disadvantage in Australia.”
Homelessness and housing
Mr Carblis said: “Mission Australia welcomes the Budget measures aimed at addressing homelessness and increasing social and affordable housing supply. However, we’re disappointed that the Government has taken a band-aid approach to a seriously strained homelessness service system. Wholesale reform and significant investment is desperately needed to prevent and end homelessness, yet there is little new funding included in the Budget announcements.”
“We welcome the Federal Budget’s new investment of $1 billion for the States and Territories to build homes sooner, the additional concessional finance available to community housing providers and capacity building support for the social and affordable housing sector.”
“The Budget’s $1 billion increase to the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF), announced last year, is targeted towards crisis and transitional accommodation for young people, and women and children escaping violence. While this is not new funding, the investment will provide hope and security for each family and young person who secures safe accommodation and we’re pleased to see the focus on these groups.
“We also acknowledge the Government’s homelessness focus within the revamped five-year Federal-State housing agreement, now known as the National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness (NASHH). We’re pleased that efforts to support staff wages via indexation and Equal Remuneration Order payments will now be embedded in the Agreement. However, the $9.3 billion allocated essentially does not include any new money at a time when, every hour, 3,000 people in Australia are seeking help from homelessness services like those provided by Mission Australia.”
“As an experienced homelessness services and community housing provider, we know these Budget actions and measures alone won’t end Australia’s housing and homelessness emergency.”
“Australia’s housing system is broken and is the worst our frontline workers have seen.”
“Almost one million new social and affordable homes will be needed over the next two decades to meet growing demand, yet existing government commitments across Australia and this year’s Federal Budget investment do not come close.”
