Victoria’s peak homelessness body is concerned about the anti immigration protests which fuel the politics of hatred and division.
Council to Homeless Persons has rejected claims immigration is the major cause of the housing crisis after falsehoods were spread at a rally in Melbourne.
CHP has warned against scapegoating migrants for the lack of housing, which stems from decades of government underinvestment in social housing.
Anti-immigration protests across Australia, including in Melbourne, gave a platform to neo-Nazis who falsely blamed migration as the central cause of the housing crisis.
CHP CEO Deborah Di Natale called for facts to be at the centre of the housing discussion.
“It is absolutely critical that we don’t allow misinformation to unfairly scapegoat people and distract us from evidence-based policy that will solve the housing crisis.
“False claims by neo-Nazis and other far-right figures are being deliberately spread to sow hatred in our community.
“These disgraceful lies have no place in a fact-based debate about housing and homelessness, let alone our society.
“Victoria has the lowest proportion of social housing in Australia: a fact that has absolutely nothing to do with migration.
“Experts have clearly demonstrated that cutting migration won’t solve our housing and homelessness problems. A long-term lack of policy focus on supply is at the heart of the issue.
“Instead of allowing hate-fuelled lies to poison the debate about how to fix the housing crisis, we need evidence-based policies like a commitment to build 60,000 new social homes in Victoria.”
Contact details:
Matt Coughlan 0400 561 480 / [email protected]