Senate – Adjournment speech

Senate – Adjournment speech Kara Thomson Wed, 14/10/2026 - 10:34 MINISTER McCARTHY: Thank you, Acting Deputy President. Today's a deep day of shame for the Northern Territory CLP government, which has shut the doors on YiSSA and cast those in need onto the streets. YiSSA Homeless and Short Stay Facility in Darwin is one of the largest of its kind in the country. It's a 300-bed facility that could house as many as 400 people. For years, it's provided a home for hundreds of families at any one time. When the news first broke in July this year that the facility was going to close, I went to visit families and staff who were understandably shocked. I spoke to a grandmother who was the sole carer for her grandchildren. Her daughter, their mother, had died by suicide and she was left with nowhere to go. She had sought refuge at YiSSA. She told me that the children were attending local schools in Darwin and that YiSSA gave them some stability in their lives to feel normal and to get an education. Another man told me that he would be back out on the streets if YiSSA closed. Another woman pointed to a deep scar on her forehead and said to me, “a bad man did this to me”. Tonight, in this pla

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