Mr LAMING (4:21 PM) —In speaking on this motion about homelessness, I have to begin by saying that I have never walked in the shoes of someone who has been without shelter. I hope that in this debate today we do not overly simplify the issue of homelessness, which is incredibly complex, very challenging and not always addressed purely by more financial resources. Sometimes coordination, early intervention and a whole lot of other elements can have an enormous impact on the extremely challenging problem that is homelessness.

I want to take a couple of minutes in this debate to highlight the work being done by BoysTown in my electorate of Bowman and by two individuals in particular: Brendan Bourke and Daphne Truesdale, who are working with Redland Shire to trial a new program called learning choices. I raise this in the context of homelessness because I believe this program in Bowman is innovative. It targets young students between the ages of 12 and 14 who are either unable or unwilling to continue with their school based education. It looks at new models to engage these youths and assist them to develop skills for the future.

While these details are still being finalised, it is my understanding that there are already some very promising partnerships with the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries in Queensland and the Australian Centre for Lifestyle Horticulture. In essence, with the aid of a generous grant from Minister Brendan Nelson and his department, there will be a pilot program of enterprise based education for these young Australians who are identified within their own schools in the district and are allowed to apply through a formal selection process to enter and undergo this program of re-engagement.

The program will begin next year, three weeks into the first term, and will be based at the Redlands Research Station. This is the first step towards what I hope will be the provision of a number of different learning choices or streams to children in that age group. It means that they will be able to get hands-on experience in areas other than what is taught at schools. The program will be designed by BoysTown and it will connect these young Australians with a number of retired people who are experts in their fields and who will endeavour to develop a program that re-engages these youths with school process. There will be 12 students starting next year and, as I said, it will be closely managed out of the BoysTown model.

In a broader sense, the work that is being done to address homelessness is founded upon the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program—otherwise known as SAAP. I would also like to briefly touch upon Reconnect and the JPET scheme. These are three practical ways of addressing homelessness. With the greatest of respect to those on the other side of the chamber, you could be forgiven, having listened to them, for sensing that the federal government completely funds, runs, administers and manages services for the homeless in this country. You could also be forgiven for thinking that the only way they think we can fix homelessness is through more public housing. My point today is that nothing could be further from the truth.

If there has been one lesson learnt through the term of this government, it has been that jobs growth, job security and wage growth play an absolutely vital role in giving people pathways out of extremely difficult and challenging circumstances. It has already been mentioned by a speaker on this side of the House that, as mental health reports have consistently shown, there is an appalling quality provided by the states. The history of mental health in this country will be told by those reflecting on the tragedy of money being torn from institutionalised mental health care, going straight back into state coffers and never being spent on community health care. A fraction of those resources in this country—a few per cent—has been spent on the community, and that is a great tragedy for those who battle with mental health in this country.

It is easy enough for those on the other side of this chamber to say that this issue is all on one side and that the federal government has not done enough. The simple fact is that under SAAP and the fifth agreement the federal government increased funding by 18 per cent—not eight per cent, not 2.8 per cent or the sorts of tiny increases that we have seen from state governments in areas of social sector spending—to $932 million over five years. Importantly, that is a $100 million increase on the last SAAP agreement that was struck. That is a demonstrated commitment from the federal government. It cannot run, manage and administer these systems but it funds them generously, as it funds the Reconnect system, which enables, in a very positive way, those that are homeless to access improved services for counselling, mediation and practical help. The Job Placement Employment Training scheme has been allocated a similar amount, $20 million a year, for this very valuable cause.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jenkins)—Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.