NATIONAL
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON HOMELESSNESS
529. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the Minister for Child Protection:
(1) For how long is the current National Partnership
Agreement on Homelessness valid?
(2) What are the most recent census figures for Western
Australia for —
(a) persons who are in
improvised dwellings, tents or sleepers out;
(b) persons in supported accommodation for the
homeless;
(c) persons staying temporarily with other
households; and
(d) persons living in severely crowded
dwellings?
(3) When will
the state government take steps to renew the National Partnership Agreement on
Homelessness with the federal government?
(4) What steps
will the state government take to ensure that housing support services
currently under the NPAH do not suffer funding or service cuts?
Hon
HELEN MORTON replied:
I thank the member for some notice of this question.
(1) The current National Partnership Agreement on
Homelessness is valid until 30 June 2014.
(2) The
Australian Bureau of Statistics released the report titled ''Census of
Population and Housing: Estimating Homelessness, 2011'' on 12 November
2012. The report indicates the following figures for Western Australia —
(a) 925;
(b) 931;
(c) 2 169; and
(d) 4 154.
(3) The
negotiations regarding the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness will
commence with the incoming commonwealth government as soon as possible.
(4) The state
government will negotiate with the commonwealth government on a longer-term
agreement for homelessness funding. Any new funding arrangements will take into
account findings of the independent evaluation of the Western Australian
National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness.