Page 116 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 8 February 2022
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applications in the last 18 months, which is 20 per cent or thereabouts. We all know that thousands of others have either left or they have just given up. The ACTCOSS media release says:
… (ACTCOSS) has called on the ACT Government to urgently review the implementation of its housing strategy and improve community oversight following today’s release of a national report that shows major failings—
major failings—
in the ACT Government’s policy to address the Territory’s housing crisis.
It is not a Liberal release; it is the ACTCOSS release. ACTCOSS are of the belief that the ACT government is failing in this space. ACTCOSS did not refer to a crisis engulfing the OECD. Federal leaders are mentioned briefly in the ACTCOSS release, but the ACTCOSS release is very clearly about things that are in the control of this Assembly. There are many things that are not in the control of this Assembly.
The amendment states that the Report on Government Services data shows that stock numbers fluctuate year on year and growth and renewal of public housing is not achieved in a linear process. I can clearly give you a linear process on this, because the line from 2012 until now is very clear. It is a line that is going down. Again, the minister said in her speech that there will be certain moments in time when the dwelling numbers are going down. They have been going down for a decade. Irrespective of tenants moving in and out and homes being built, the number of public housing dwellings continues to steadily fall, despite these virtuous announcements and every budget suggesting that it is going to increase. God help the Greens and Labor if, indeed, we get to the end of all this and somehow those new dwellings have not been delivered, because, wow, that is going to be embarrassing, isn’t it? Let us all hope—and I certainly hope—that they can be delivered.
I just wanted to say to Greens members who have not been here for as long as me that there was a time when, with a motion like this, I would have engaged with Caroline Le Couteur. Do I miss Caroline. Caroline was a real Green, Madam Speaker. I could have gone to Caroline and we would have discussed this motion. We would probably have come up with some things that we both agreed on. Ms Le Couteur had a backbone and she would perhaps have said, “Yes, I’m going to support you on this,” and we might have got some movement.
This crossbench, of course, is not a crossbench at all. I think earlier in the day I heard Mr Rattenbury say on a number of occasions, “We, the government.” There is no crossbench in here and I wish they would stop masquerading as if that is the case. Very clearly, based on the words, I do not think we will be supporting your amendment, Ms Berry.
Question put:
That the amendment be agreed to.
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