In July 2024, the Australian Senate referred the National Housing and Homelessness Plan Bill 2024 (No. 2) to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report. 

Yfoundations' submission to this Senate committee strongly supports the intent of the bill to recognise access to adequate housing as a fundamental human right and to legislate a requirement that the Australian Government develops, implements and maintains a National Housing and Homelessness Plan.

However, we recommend a broader scope of focus for the proposed Act than is included in the Bill as drafted, in recognition that homelessness, particularly child and youth homelessness, represents a violation of a wider set of fundamental rights than the right to adequate housing alone, and that the solution to child and youth homelessness requires a focus on a broader range of systemic issues. 

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