Address to the House of Representatives, Adjournment 

Wednesday 27 May 2026

The annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout is being held on 18 June at Old Parliament House. This will be my 12th consecutive year participating in the sleepout. Thank you, Speaker, for your particular leadership in hosting the 2024 sleepout here in the Parliament House car park. It is no secret to anyone having to travel here at this time of year that the nights get cold, often dropping down to minus-six degrees. Ultimately, that isn't too bad for those of us who have a warm home to return to. But, as we know, not everyone is that fortunate.

At the last census, over 1,500 people were experiencing homelessness in the ACT. For the entirety of Australia, that total was over 122,000 people experiencing homelessness each night. It's important to note that the homeless aren't simply those who are out on the streets. It has been estimated that 15 per cent of homeless people rely on couch surfing with family, friends and acquaintances so that they have a safe place to sleep.

The Albanese government is taking action to help address this crisis. That's why we're investing almost $60 million to supplement rental income for community housing providers delivering social housing for over 4,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who are in receipt of the away-from-home rate of the youth allowance or Abstudy and who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness. We're also continuing to roll out our ambitious social and affordable housing agenda, delivering 55,000 social and affordable homes right across the country. We are releasing a further $100 million from the Housing Australia Future Fund to improve the quality of housing for First Nations Australians in remote communities. And we're investing $31 million over two years into the Homelessness Access Program to deliver health care to Australians experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

Homelessness is a challenging issue, and it requires government leadership, great NGOs to invest their time and whole communities coming together to help address it—and the generosity of our community in supporting events like the Vinnies sleep-out. The Vinnies sleep-out is happening across Australia on 18 June. Thank you to all who have put up their hand to participate—in many cases, over multiple years. And thank you to all those who've supported our participation and to those that will step up to provide support over the next couple of weeks as the temperature goes down.