PM’s visit puts spotlight on housing issues
By Wendy Shaw
Centacare Evolve Housing hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and federal politicians at a housing site in Northern Tasmania last month.
Mr Albanese visited the Youngtown development, delivered in partnership with Launceston City Mission, to announce additional budget measures to tackle the national housing crisis.
“This isn’t about one suburb or one city or one state,” Mr Albanese said. “It’s a challenge facing Australians everywhere and it needs action from every level of government.”
He was accompanied by Housing Minister Julie Collins and federal MPs Brian Mitchell (Lyons) and Senator Helen Polley on 11 May.
The Prime Minister announced: $1 billion for crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and for youth under the National Housing Infrastructure Facility; $1 billion for infrastructure and additional social housing supply; and a new $9.3 billion five‑year national agreement on social housing and homelessness, for states and territories to combat homelessness, provide crisis support and build and repair social housing.
Ms Collins thanked Launceston City Mission and Centacare Evolve Housing, adding: “This is a mixed development: private, plus affordable rental, plus social housing. That is what we want to see more of right across the country, more homes for Australia.”
Mr Mitchell described the 24-unit Youngtown development as a “wonderful facility” that is “housing people who need housing”.
Centacare Evolve Housing’s acting CEO, Julia Mangan, said it was a privilege for CEH to host the event.
“The team at Centacare Evolve Housing were grateful for the opportunity to speak with national representatives about issues of housing and homelessness in Tasmania and the work we are doing to alleviate housing stress in our community,” Ms Mangan said.
“We look forward to exploring the opportunities to further support Tasmanians through the funding for housing announced by Prime Minster Albanese”.
Centacare Evolve Housing is Tasmania’s largest provider of community housing and operates as an entity of the Archdiocese of Hobart. It has nearly 300 homes currently under construction, with a further 760 upcoming builds, of which 284 are in the South, 316 in the North and 160 in the North West.