‘By 1990, no Australian child will be living in poverty.’ – Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke (June 23, 1987)

It’s now 2026, and Mission Australia recently shared that over 28,000 children in Australia don’t have a safe place to sleep – most of them are hidden from view, sleeping in cars, on a friend’s couch, or even in a tent. This gut-wrenching statistic accounts for a quarter of our country’s total homelessness … and it’s growing.

Where is our Prime Minister?

Isn’t Labor the supposed champion of the working class? Isn’t Labor the supposed champion for solving poverty? Isn’t Labor the supposed champion of lifting living standards for all?

Australia, once referred to as the ‘land of plenty’ in fast descending into the ‘land of poverty’ for our most vulnerable community members: children.

While our Labor government is currently more concerned with ensuring ISIS brides receive hotel accommodation and pizzas, 94 per cent of the 28,000 children are experiencing ‘hidden homelessness’. This means they are not sleeping on the street but instead crashing on couches, living in crammed houses, and/or taking refuge in cars and tents. Why isn’t the issue of child homelessness front and centre of every politician’s policy and agenda?

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to wreak havoc on our community, politicians are blind to consequences of failed policy and its far-reaching impact on the lives of children. While one can question and argue, where are the parents of these children, it beggars belief that this statistic is the current reality of Australian kids.

What’s causing this? According to Mission Australia, the most common factors contributing to child homelessness are families struggling to find affordable housing, rocketing rental prices, and domestic violence. As the stress and pressure of providing food seeps into the lives of many, Foodbank has started a School Breakfast Club to support families who are unable to provide food for their children – it is as clear as the iceberg bobbing in the water, Australia is headed straight towards systemic collapse as our families buckle under the financial burden to survive … and, who cares?

Everyone should have access to safe and affordable housing. That’s the Australian dream, right? The passionate pledge of Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister, appears to be lost on the Albanese government. In 1987, the Hawke government introduced serious reform to tackle the issue of child homelessness, namely in the form of the Family Allowance Supplement (FAS). However, decades on from this, it is obvious Australia’s welfare system is failing and our children are being left behind.

But why the radio silence? Does anyone care? What happened to that great Australian dream of owning a home with a white picket fence with a few kids happily kicking the footy in the backyard?

For many, that dream has burst. The harsh reality of trying to make a living, trying to pay the bills, trying to put food on the table is biting hard and becoming all too challenging and overwhelming to sustain.

Urgent attention is required, including providing affordable housing, lowering rental prices, and stopping inflation. Remembering our core democratic principles and values must prevail if we are to remedy this social disaster.

Since Term 2 commenced, Victoria’s Foodbank’s School Breakfast Club program has increased by 13 per cent compared to Term 1 this year. This should be raising the alarm that everyday Aussies are struggling. Everyday Aussies are crying out for help. Everyday Aussies need relief – now. Let’s take action and do something so that these poor children have a warm, safe place to sleep and food on the table this winter.

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