Mr BARTON (Eastern Metropolitan) (09:48): I am pleased today to thank and congratulate those members of the community who work tirelessly to provide support for the homeless in Melbourne. In June my motion for an inquiry into homelessness was passed in this place, and it gives me great pleasure to see the enthusiasm for this inquiry and hear the wide ranging and clever solutions that will make a huge difference to this growing problem. In Knox there are approximately 365 homeless, with 138 living in supported accommodation for the homeless, 70 in temporary accommodation and 104 living in severely overcrowded dwellings.

It is the smallest acts that give me the most hope, and today I would like to congratulate nine-year-old Louisa Bishop from Wantirna South Primary School for her contribution to the Knox council initiative in August called Can Homelessness. Louisa was concerned about homelessness in Knox during the very cold weather and got together with her school to collect cans of food for the appeal. It is the smallest of acts like these and the awareness in the community of how serious this problem is becoming that are the beginning of finding ways to end homelessness. Well done, Louisa; well done, Wantirna South Primary School; and well done to the Knox council for running this initiative.