A key independent is promising to advocate for more purpose-built homelessness facilities to help the state’s population sleeping rough if re-elected.
Labor-turned-Independent Franklin candidate David O’Byrne says urgent action needs to be taken to address the homelessness crisis, criticising his former party and the Liberals for “failing to make the plight of Tasmania’s homeless a centrepiece of wider housing policy”.
“Today, Tasmania has more than 2,400 homeless people, an increase of nearly 50% since 2016,” O’Byrne said.
“The majority of the homeless are women and children and the detailed data is shocking. A quarter of the homeless are aged between 12 and 24 and more than 350 children under 12 have no permanent home.”
Fighting for purpose-built facilities, outreach services and specialist mental health, alcohol and drug programs will be at the top of O’Byrnes’ list if he is re-elected, alongside reinstating a public housing commission to build 100% public housing.
He also aims to introduce a bill or amendments for a revised short-stay accommodation levy model that reinvests funds into crisis accommodation and homelessness services, suggesting a 15% levy could generate nearly $25 million for exactly that.
“While comprehensive policy action is needed to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness the most important immediate priority is to invest in the short-term accommodation and wrap around services homeless people require,” he said.
“We need more initiatives like Bethlehem House and the Rocherlea Rehabilitation and Recovery Centre and an integrated plan to rapidly build emergency accommodation.”
“The Liberal plan to allocate revenues from a 10% short-stay levy to fund first home deposits is the wrong priority. It would be better directed to crisis accommodation and services.”
