Labor Leader, Michael Daley, has announced a $260 million funding package to address homelessness and child protection in NSW.
Mr Daley said: “Only Labor will bolster the services for the most vulnerable in society.
“They need that help now more than ever, after suffering through years of cuts under the Liberals and Nationals.”
Homelessness
A Daley Labor Government will increase the availability of social housing in NSW with an additional $200 million funding boost.
Currently, there are more than 60,000 households on the waiting list for social housing, leaving a minimum 5-10 year wait for new applicants.
Labor will tackle this head on by investing $200 million to deliver hundreds of new social housing properties.
Mr Daley said: “The cash injection will not only be a significant boost to social housing but will provide for jobs in the building and construction industry.”
Shadow Minister for Housing, Tania Mihailuk said: “The Liberals and Nationals made a hollow pledge to halve homelessness but didn’t provide any new money to do so.
“They’ve allowed homelessness to continue to rise because they are more focused on rampant property sell-offs and stadium splurges.”
A Daley Labor Government will also increase funding for homelessness services by $40 million and commit to develop a longer-term NSW strategy for homelessness.
Mr Daley said: “We need real action, backed by funding, to improve homelessness services.”
Under the Liberals and Nationals the number of homeless people in NSW increased by 37 per cent between 2011 and 2016 (according to the most recent ABS data).
Child Protection
A Daley Labor Government will fund 100 additional FACS caseworkers to ease the workload that caseworkers are facing right across the state.
The number of children reported at risk of significant harm has ballooned to a record high of 95,869 but the number of children being assessed face-to-face has dropped to only 28 per cent, the lowest in three years.
Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services, Tania Mihailuk, said: “This Government has failed to provide face-to-face assessments for a staggering 69,000 children.
“Only Labor will provide more frontline workers to increase face-to-face assessments for children at risk of significant harm and ensure children do not fall through the cracks.”
Last year, Liberal MP Matthew Mason-Cox slammed his government’s decision to spend more than $2 billion on sporting stadiums while labelling their performance in child protection as a “disgrace”.
Today’s homelessness announcement builds on Labor’s previous commitments to combat key causes of homelessness such as domestic violence and rental stress, including:
- $80 million over four years for up to 200 additional DV places;
- Rental reforms including ending no-fault evictions; and
- Introducing affordable housing targets.