Death of a twin baby in a tent

Minister for Housing

Minister for Homelessness

New South Wales Legislative Council

 

 

Dear Minister Jackson,

 

 

I am writing to you today with a heavy heart, and with a deep sense of urgency, following the devastating news of the death of a twin baby in a makeshift camp in Wagga Wagga. This tragedy has shaken many of us to our core, and I feel compelled to raise this matter directly with you, as the Minister responsible for Housing and Homelessness in New South Wales.

We live in Australia — a wealthy, developed nation — and yet a young pregnant mother was left to live in a tent, without adequate shelter, without proper antenatal care, and without the basic protections that every expectant mother deserves. The fact that this can happen in our country in this day and age is not just a policy failure — it is a moral failure.

I understand that this mother was classified as a Level 1 priority on the social housing register — meaning she was formally recognised as being in a highly vulnerable situation. And yet, despite that classification, she faced a wait of up to four years before being offered safe housing. Four years. During a pregnancy. Living in a tent. This is unconscionable.

I must ask you directly, Minister: how many other families are living in similar circumstances right now across New South Wales? How many young mothers — pregnant or with newborns — are sleeping in cars, tents, or makeshift shelters tonight, having been assessed as vulnerable but told they must simply wait? The answer to that question should not be something we discover only in the aftermath of another tragedy.

I am writing to urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to take the following immediate actions:

1.  Commission an urgent audit of all Level 1 priority households — with particular attention to pregnant women, newborns, infants, and young children — to identify those currently living in unsafe or inadequate conditions such as tents, cars, or informal camps.

2.  Ensure that no pregnant woman or family with children under two years of age classified as Level 1 priority is left without immediate safe, temporary housing while awaiting permanent placement.

3.  Establish a clear, enforceable standard of care for Level 1 priority households that sets timeframes for contact, welfare checks, and escalation — so that vulnerability is not simply recorded and then forgotten.

4.  Put in place real, funded action plans — not just policies on paper — that connect at-risk families with health services, outreach workers, and emergency accommodation options as a matter of urgency.

5.  Report publicly on the findings of this audit and the steps being taken, so that the community can have confidence that this tragedy will not be repeated.

 

I recognise that the housing crisis in New South Wales is deep and complex, and that you have inherited significant systemic challenges. However, complexity cannot be used as a reason for inaction when vulnerable lives — and the lives of infants — are at stake. A four-year wait is not an acceptable response to a Level 1 assessment. A tent is not a safe place to give birth.

The baby who died in Wagga Wagga deserved better. The mother deserved better. And there are others out there right now who need us to act before it is too late.

I respectfully but urgently call on you to take this matter seriously and to act with the speed and decisiveness that it demands. I would welcome the opportunity to correspond further on the specific measures your office intends to take in response to this tragedy.

 Yours sincerely,

Jennifer Collins AM