St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn launched its 2024 ACT Election Statement today, requesting all parties to commit to deliver more affordable housing; to invest in homelessness support services; to make Canberra more welcoming to migrants and refugees; to ensure energy is affordable to all; and to provide better justice outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“This Election Statement speaks to the issues we see every day in the delivery of our programs,” CEO Lucy Hohnen said. “The ongoing cost of living crisis and lack of affordable housing affects every household in the ACT. It also impacts every community sector organisation, as we are all experiencing significant increase in demand for our services.”

Ms Hohnen said the Election Statement reflects the social and economic hardship of the people Vinnies supports in the ACT.

Vinnies calls on all parties to:

• Support an early amendment to the ACT Human Rights Act to include a right to adequate housing.
• Increase the existing stock of affordable social housing by building at a minimum, an additional 3,000 social housing properties over the next five years.
• Commit to long-term and expanded funding for all homelessness support programs.
• Commit to an inclusive energy transition process that supports low-income earners as part of the actions to implement the Integrated Energy Plan.
• Commit to maintaining the ACT’s status as a Refugee Welcome Zone.
• Fund a Migrant and Refugee Community Co-ordinator position in all ACT Schools to support parents and families to connect with the school and wider community.
• Commit to prioritising the implementation of all 28 recommendations from Our Booris, Our Way Report.
• Commit to exploring a Cross Border Justice Scheme with the NSW Government.  

According to the 2024 Report on Government Services (ROGS), 3,174 households and 661 households were on the public and community housing waiting list respectively in the ACT in 2023.  2,407 people experienced homelessness for at least a month in the same year in the ACT, and 1,082 people experienced persistent homelessness in Canberra. Additionally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 25 times more likely to be sent to prison in the ACT than non-Aboriginal people.

“Our Election Statement asks all parties in the ACT Election to articulate how they propose to address the devastating socio-economic issues facing increasing numbers of households in Canberra,” said Ms Hohnen.

Kym Duggan, Chair of the Society’s Social Justice and Advocacy Committee, said: “Elections provide a vital opportunity for citizens and politicians to engage in a dialogue to identify key priorities for our community. Our election statement does that by highlighting our policy recommendations which require attention from all parties.”

“We ask candidates to respond to the recommendations we have raised,” Ms Duggan said. “As stakeholders working on the frontline of community and charitable work, our primary interest is to ensure the voice of the vulnerable and marginalised in the Canberra community is heard this election.”