Page 417 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 10 February 2021
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The minister says most of the things have already been investigated, but I am really not sure that they have. It is interesting that we are having this discussion about NRAS because, on the face of it, an NRAS-style scheme—as was the case when it was first mooted—sounded great, but when it was rolled out it did not actually deliver to the people that needed it. That is one of the reasons I specifically put forward the Dan Andrews rent supplementation scheme. One of the great differences is that institutional investment money contributed to it, but the biggest difference is that the properties are managed by community housing providers, and it has delivered hundreds of new social and affordable dwellings to the Melbourne market. I had one of the institutional investors sitting in my office last year and he told me that if a similar scheme was offered in the ACT his large company would be on board straight away.
I am dismayed that the Greens have just laid down here. I know it is not possible for me to address the audience watching on the live stream, Madam Speaker, but if the standing orders allowed me to, I would. I would stare down the barrel of the camera and I would say, “Caroline, I wish you were here. I really do. Where are you?” That is what I would do. Because, back in the days when we had an independent, free-thinking Green in the Assembly, I know Caroline Le Couteur would have backed me up on a number of these proposals because she genuinely cared for the people on the margins and she understood the housing crisis. And on occasions—usually when it suited her—she was able to look through some of the Labor rhetoric and pick through what was actually real and what was not.
We are witnessing today the Greens lying down and letting Labor determine the way forward absolutely and completely. What we see today, despite all the rhetoric and talk of a new normal, is more of the same. I think, this is a sellout from the Greens. I can understand the Labor guys holding your line because this is the story you have been telling for years, and if you tell a lie for long enough it sort of morphs into the truth, doesn’t it? I am happy to withdraw that, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: Yes, I think you will.
MR PARTON: My question for the Greens is this: are you happy with the current state of play and are you happy with the current direction? Emma Campbell from ACTCOSS certainly is not happy. Emma appeared on ABC Radio yesterday, discussing the budget. For the benefit of Greens members and any Labor members who actually remember why they were elected to this place, let me quote what she said. She said the biggest gap in the budget today is around housing. She also said that the Chief Minister may feel comfortable with the levels of public and community housing we have, but, given that we have a shortfall of 3,000 community houses and 1,600 people experiencing homelessness every day in the ACT, we should be doing much better. Emma Campbell is not the only one; I have spoken to a swag of people in that space who are of the same opinion.
I am astounded that the Greens are going to accept paragraph (1)(a). They are just prepared to accept that because a lot of people in the ACT are earning a good quid that is good enough and low-income families can just fend for themselves. I am not sure that is really the go.
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