An Indigenous woman gave birth to twins in a tent last week. She and her partner had been living in a makeshift tent on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River for about five months – the majority of her high-risk pregnancy.

She went into labour while at the camp. Her partner and another camp resident did what they could, but by the time emergency services arrived, one of her babies had died.

The woman and her surviving child were taken to hospital in a critical condition. They have since been released.

Again. An Indigenous woman, living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, gave birth to twins in a tent. One of those babies died. In a tent. Where their parents were living, because the waiting list for social housing in their area is up to seven years.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Amber Schultz has reported nearly 700 people are on the social housing waitlist in Wagga Wagga, a city with fewer than 70,000 residents.

The most recent Australia Institute of Health and Welfare social housing data shows that as of June 2024, the number of households on a social housing waitlist had increased from 155,000 in 2014 to 169,000. Of those households, 71,700 were classified as being urgent, or having the greatest needs.

And last week, someone waiting for a house gave birth in a tent.

The woman and her partner had lived for months in a makeshift camp on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. Photo: ABC News

There will be a crowd of people rushing to blame an individual for what happened to them, rather than the system that is supposed to support them. There will be comments based on information cobbled together from social media that people will use to justify why this tragedy happened.

But let’s be clear. This happened because we stopped caring about people having basic needs. Housing is no longer considered shelter, it is considered an asset. And it’s not........

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