NATIONAL
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON HOMELESSNESS
61. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to a statement by Hon Mark Butler, MP, federal
Minister for Housing and Homelessness, on 14 May 2013.
(1) Why has the
state government not signed on to the federal government's National
Partnership Agreement on Homelessness for 2013–14?
(2) Is the
Western Australian government unwilling to match the commonwealth's
offer of $14.5 million?
(3) Does the
minister acknowledge that the WA government has missed the deadline for
applications to the associated development fund?
(4) Which
organisations in WA benefited from the development fund in 2011–12, and
which organisations currently benefit from the fund?
(5) How is the
minister going to provide surety to homelessness service providers and their
clients that there will be no disruption to their services or a reduction in
the level of service provided?
Hon
HELEN MORTON replied:
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of this question.
(1) The state
government is currently considering the commonwealth government's
latest offer. The agreement is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks.
(2) The state
government has already committed $14.5 million to specialist homelessness
services under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness for 2013–14.
(3) The
Department of Housing made two applications for the development fund before the
deadline of 14 May 2013.
(4) The development
fund is a new feature of the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness,
and did not exist in previous years.
(5) The Western
Australian government is committed to assisting Western Australians
experiencing homelessness and working to support people at risk of becoming
homeless. The government is dedicated to strengthening its relationship with
not-for-profit sector organisations, which play a vital role in the delivery of
these services. The Western Australian government has demonstrated its
commitment to the sustainability of services through the allocation of an
additional $8.3 million over two years for specialist homelessness services.