The ‘Everybodys home’ campaign
But right now, Australia’s housing system is broken. A generation of homeowners has been priced out by investors. There is a shortage of secure, affordable rental properties. And more and more people are being pushed into homelessness.
But the good news is there are simple things our government can do to fix it, and make the system fairer for everyone.
This is why we’ve joined the Everybody’s Home campaign. Its aim is to see everyone working together to call on our government to implement the solutions needed to ensure everyone has a home.
Raise the rate
We have joined the Australian Council of Social Services’ campaign, calling on the government to raise the single rate of Newstart, Youth Allowance and related payments.
Over 800,000 people, including parents, carers, people with disability, other people locked out of paid work and students are struggling daily to afford basic essentials like a roof over their head and food on their table.
People are having to make tough choices between eating a meal and paying a bill, buying shoes for their children and maintaining their health.
It is nearly impossible to look for paid work if you are homeless and hungry.
Newstart has not increased in real terms in 24 years, but the cost of essentials has drastically increased.
Already there are 3 million people living in poverty in Australia, including over 730,000 children.
It is time for government to Raise the Rate.