The Greens have issued a call for an additional $4.6 billion to be invested into social housing to support the thousands of women and children who are unable to access a safe home after escaping violence.
The call comes ahead of meeting today that will bring together state and federal women’s safety ministers to discuss how they can drive progress on women’s and children’s safey, as well as broader gender equality measures.
“When politicians ask “why didn’t she just leave?”, they’re ignoring that unaffordable housing, rising rents, and crisis and transitional housing shortages leave women and children with nowhere to go,” Greens leader Senator Larissa Waters said.
“Housing and homelessness is a women’s safety issue. Faced with homelessness, many women are forced to choose to stay in violent homes.”
Senator Waters said frontline services and crisis accommodation are “breaking” due to a lack of funding. It means too many women and children are being turned away from getting the support they need.
According to the latest figures, nearly 12,000 women and children who seek short term accommodation are missing out each year, while 40 per cent of homelessness services report closing their doors to new clients at least once a fortnight.
“This is something that the government can, and must, fix by investing in public housing and frontline services,” Senator Waters said.
“The Ministers meeting today must take on this challenge and send a clear signal that women’s safety matters. All victim survivors should be able to access support when they need it.”
For those who do secure crisis accommodation, 60 per cent have not secured stable housing by the time they leave. This means women and children may have no option but to return to living with an abusive partner.
“$4.6 billion is less than a quarter of the $17 billion per year that a gas export tax would generate and a drop in the ocean of the billions we’re currently wasting on nuclear subs we’re unlikely to ever receive,” Senator Waters said.
“Labor knows there is massive unmet need, but even their pilot project to collect data on that need is years overdue and just got another extension. The sector, and the women and children who rely on it, cannot wait any longer.”
Feature image: Greens leader Senator Larissa Waters.