Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

GEORGANAS () (): This week is National Homelessness Week, and the theme this year is 'To end homelessness we need a plan'. I'm really proud to be part of an Albanese government that is addressing these complex challenges.

Over 100,000 people do it rough every night and find themselves homeless. There are many service centres around the country that assist these people, and in Adelaide we're very fortunate to have the Hutt St Centre, which provides many services. They offer essential assistance and do things that help these people. Hutt St Centre aim to end homelessness for every person who comes in through their doors. They do this without judgement, without prejudice, because they understand better than most that homelessness is not a choice. We know it can happen to anyone due to unforeseen circumstances. Each year, the Hutt St Centre serves up to 40,000 meals, it offers social work support services to nearly 2,000 people, and it helps to put them back into accommodation. I'd like to commend the great work that the Hutt St Centre do, including their experienced team, and I thank them sincerely for their great services.

That's why every year I am incredibly honoured to support the Hutt St Centre's Walk a Mile in My Boots challenge, which raises funds for the centre. In the past, thousands of Adelaide residents would get together and walk the challenge in a show of solidarity, together with homeless people, to raise much-needed funds, as I said. But, because of COVID, these last few years have seen a different type of challenge, where participants walk independently. That will be taking place again this year to raise money for this fantastic centre. The goal this year is to help end homelessness for the more than 6,000 people facing winter without a place to call home in my home state of South Australia. This is a serious issue in Australia, and we all need to work together as governments, communities et cetera to address it.

As I said, we know there are over 100,000 people doing it tough every night, whether they're homeless or couch surfing, and people can find themselves in those circumstances through no fault of their own. There are groups like the Hutt St Centre and many other groups around the country that do great work. So I'm very pleased that this year I will be taking this challenge again, as I have in past years, to raise funds for this wonderful centre that assists people. Last year we visited with Jason Clare to look at the centre and see the great work that they've done. They are doing it tough. They need more funds. They need more government support, and I will be supporting them to get it. Homelessness is a serious issue and we all need to work to address this together.