Appropriation Bill Speech

Every weekday morning in my electorate, only a kilometre from here, breakfast is served to the homeless. This particular service has only been operating for a year and has grown from serving breakfast to a handful of people to regularly serving more than 70. Their clients are homeless and, in this weather, many of them are still sleeping rough—sometimes in tents provided by the service in lieu of affordable housing. They stay on after breakfast for counselling and referral. Many of them have complex issues which will need much time and help to resolve. After homelessness, one of the biggest problems seen at this centre is poor dental health—a problem for many other Australians too.