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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-29 Daily Xml
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HOMELESSNESS

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:52): I rise today to update those present on a Rann government initiative which continues to be of particular interest to me: the work on homelessness by the South Australian Social Inclusion Unit. Founded in 2002 and headed by the visionary South Australian Monsignor David Cappo AO, the Social Inclusion Unit aims to go beyond the examination of poverty in isolation, as it were, and refocus debate on the need to ensure that all people have access to the basic essential elements of a decent life.

We all know that our Indigenous people, the homeless people, people with some physical or intellectual disabilities and others are marginalised and do not enjoy those basic elements of a decent life that we in this place certainly enjoy. For those members of our community, it is perhaps a bit like being outside the tent and looking in. Inside the shelter, it is warm and dry: there is food, light, conversation, mutual concerns and mutual aspirations. Those inside are valued.

Outside the tent, the watchers are subject to the vagaries of the weather, both physical and psychological. He could be cold and hungry, perhaps lately released from prison or suffering from mental illness. She could be lonely and in need of support, or perhaps a victim of family violence. Their child might be glad to go to school on a regular basis. I am pretty sure that they would all like to be inside the tent. So, what will draw them in? What are the basic elements of a decent life?

Well, they are more than the bare necessities—water, food and shelter, crucial though they are. A paramount part of a decent life has to be engagement—dignified engagement—with the community's social life, with its working life and with its support mechanisms that engagement brings in terms of health, education, housing, employment, and so on: dignified engagement that springs from a sense that one is of value and that one is valued, dignified engagement that brings people inside the tent.

It is beyond argument that our Indigenous people have experienced social exclusion for more than two centuries and that this exclusion continues. It is equally inarguable that the disabled members of our community have been similarly marginalised. We know, too, that young offenders continue to fall through the cracks, that some children are not engaged with school, that people who are substance-addicted are abandoned or imprisoned instead of being treated.

That is where the work of the Social Inclusion Unit is so necessary. Let us not forget that it was the policy of those opposite prior to the last election that the Social Inclusion Initiative should have been done away with. That would have been a very sad day, indeed, but I am proud to say that the common sense of the South Australian electors prevailed and this vital work goes on.

I want to talk today about that particular sector of our community, homeless people, with which the Social Inclusion Unit has had notable success. Speaking on the ABC 891 program last June, Monsignor Cappo commented:

Well, there's a lot of good news on homelessness reform. I would give homelessness 8 out of 10 (on the report card) for the work that's going on, because homeless numbers are coming down and I think they're coming down more in South Australia than any other state.

This is good news, and it deserves to be noted and celebrated, because we know that on any given night more than 100,000 Australians are homeless—and almost half of those are under 25. Even more shockingly, 12,000 of these are children.

I congratulate the Social Inclusion Unit, its chair and its supporters, the private sector and the NGOs, as well as governments, on their progress towards alleviating this sorry state of affairs. I would like to add that part of the state's success in this area is due to the activities of Common Ground Australia Ltd, a partnership between the government and a group of business leaders, which looks at ways the business community can contribute to tackling homelessness.

Common Ground Australia is the leading exponent of a scheme founded in the United States in 1990 by one of our past thinkers in residence, Roseanne Haggerty, and has built more than 500 apartments in five Australian states. The idea is to build a community that provides stable housing for a range of people—and I stress, a range of people—in combination with on-site access to services, including health, welfare and vocational support.

Common Ground South Australia is well up there with its interstate colleagues. Its Franklin Street apartment block is up and running. The Light Square development we have all been watching is taking shape and will soon provide some 30 units specifically for long-term accommodation for previously homeless people, while the balance of the units will be leased to students, artists and other low-income earners.

The pathway from homelessness to social inclusion can be lengthy and far from simple, but we are making progress through the initiatives that I have outlined today. I am pleased to draw this progress to the attention of members and wish all those involved well in their present and future endeavours.

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