Mr. Lewis Mooney:

I might chime in on that and on Deputy Rabbitte's comments. It is not to undermine the short-term solutions to some of the problems that have been outlined by Tanya Ward and the Ombudsman, but there is a requirement for long-term thinking in this context. Senator Freeman referred to a general election. It is important that there is legal change and that rights are afforded to children which they can realise through the courts if necessary but so that they can also have those recognised by local authorities. While they are very important, short-term solutions are not going to fix the problem. The number of homeless families is increasing day by day. It requires a whole-of-Government approach and that Government really grasps the problem.