Opened the debate
Thorpe argued that the government had known for at least a month that families in Mount Isa were at risk of homelessness due to issues with a specific housing provider. Thorpe stated that the department's response of distributing fact sheets about private market rentals was ineffective given the difficulty of securing housing in that region. Thorpe contended that the government was engaging in bureaucratic handball between federal and state levels rather than taking direct action. Thorpe asserted that Aboriginal people have a human right to housing and warned that the minister would be held responsible if homelessness resulted from inaction.