...There will not be many tears shed on this site for the homeless, guaranteed! Here we dwell in an “Enid Blyton world at the top of the magic fare-away tree, in the land of arrogance!

...But more positively, there is always an alternative for the homeless, (not mentioned by the author for sake of sensitivity?) called “Prison”. Prison offers to many the opportunity for free “board and lodging”, and ensures homelessness off into the future, as a “jobless” misfit on release. What a pity society can’t simply advance past the simplicity of persecution as the alternative to wealth creation.

While thousands of Australian citizens are 'homeless' and living on the street, in vehicles, 'sofa surfing' etc our Government is spending Billions of dollars annually now on the 'rescue', accommodation (with good food, clothing, phones, medical care, entertainment etc) of thousands of illegal immigrants who are also afforded public housing and a grant for furniture once released into the community.

Many of whom are economic 'refugees', some criminals, mostly without identification as this will have been destroyed, all who have made a decision to pay to get to Australia - the land of 'asylum', generous welfare, a place where they can jump up and down and scream 'racism' if anyone questions or criticizes their cultural practices and demand all their 'rights' be upheld. The land of an idiot Labor Govt which has opened the portals for this to happen .... but that's another story.

THERE'S SOMETHING VERY WRONG WHEN ALIENS ARE TREATED WITH FAR GREATER GENEROSITY AND GIVEN PREFERENCE OVER OUR OWN CITIZENS. THAT needs to change and SOON!

Agree completely divine. We need to stop spending public money on boat people, who the public don't want in Oz anyway.

If we let any in, they should only come on the grounds that refugee advocates sponsor & then support them, until they become self supporting.

Welfare should not be available to them until they they have 5 years of tax receipts, to prove they are self supporting, & worth admitting.

We should be able to provide a hand up for our own, but not a life style. There should be a sunset clause on all public housing of say 3 years. This should give sufficient time for people to get their life in order. If at the end of that time they can't pay commercial rents, they should be prepared to move to one of the many areas where rents are cheap.

No one should expect the tax payers to subsidise their desire to live in their preferred place. That choice should only be available to those who pay their own way.

Come on guys.

Asylum seekers are just transnationally homeless people, and qualitatively no different from domestically homeless people - except perhaps for the fact that their lives would be in danger if they tried to live on the streets in their home countries.

The only reason the government spends so much on incarcerating them is because voters like you are so insistent on giving them a hard time - whereas we all know that everyone would be better off if we let them live in the community and work while their claims are being processed.

Looking after Australia-based homeless people meanwhile, even though probably amenable to improvement with adequate funding, doesn't win any votes.

So think about your own responsibility in this before opening your mouths.

Still, I was amused by the Enid Blyton analogy. I wonder if the reason you think that is because you feel like one of those hapless school students stuck in the land of Dame Slap?

<<<Slap!>>>

With all the best of intentions, charities and NGOs by themselves can never solve this problem, and yes, we need a revolution in thinking. There can only be one solution, and that is for every able-bodied person to have a job, to have access to low-cost public housing (where they can be relied upon to respect it) and communal government farms for those who need greater assistance to develop their confidence, feelings of self-worth, and even 'right' and responsible thinking. And, we need a very substantial investment in our mental health services and related accommodation services.

We need a revolution in our 'welfare thinking' to dismantle those facets which support a counter-culture of crime, drug use and sexual abuse on our streets and environs, and to end the 'milking' of the system by the purposefully permanently unemployed.

This government missed a golden opportunity to build low cost public housing in response to the GFC - as a far more worthwhile alternative to wastage via School Halls and Pink Batts - but even this would only address the tip of the iceberg. The 'smart' country, the environmentally responsible country, ignores the opportunity and the demand to become the 'working' country.

"Work for the Dole" has barely scratched the surface, and has still overlooked those who are most in need of constructive occupation, of re-training, of a 'leg up' and a 'new start'.

Communal farms a 'demeaning' or 'socialist' idea? Some church organisations have been helping disillusioned and troubled youth by such means to learn skills, to gain confidence, and to realise their own self-worth. Such programs are worthy of greater support and expansion.

Then, there is always military service. A noble occupation offering skills training, and the inculcation of 'disciple', which is so lacking in parts of our education system and in parts of our welfare system.

We need Oz to get to work, and to stop bitching.

"There's always military service," says Saltpetre.

What a great idea! Let's train even more folk to be killers. Then we can participate in even more wars, the ones created by the Imperial West.

Yeah, instead of sleeping on a park bench or under a bridge, trainees can see the world while bombing and shooting people classified by Oligarchs and Politicians as undesirables.

Of course, we could build low-cost housings!