Submissions

The critical importance of housing to mental health and wellbeing is well established, just as mental health is a key component of overall health and wellbeing for all Australians. The challenge of providing housing for all Australians now and in the future will require a whole of government response and the attention of successive governments. For these reasons QAMH supports this Bill which aims to improve the governance and accountability of national housing policy by binding future governments, irrespective of which political party they belong to, to address the housing crisis. Under this Bill, the government of the day will be required to have a ten-year plan to address the housing crisis and report to parliament every three years on progress. In this submission we support:

• embedding a human rights informed approach to housing reform;
• having a lead agency to advise and monitor housing policy;
• the establishment of a consumer voice led council that includes lived and living experience of housing insecurity and homelessness;
• the establishment of a national housing advocate; and
• adding youth as an identified vulnerable group where housing and homelessness concerns are prioritised.