Page 2454 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2022
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The Greens will do everything that we can to eliminate homelessness. Improving housing options is a major part of the parliamentary agreement, requiring 400 additional public housing dwellings by 2025, an expansion of specialist homelessness services and an increase in affordable housing and build-to-rent opportunities. While we know that housing affordability is a wicked problem, one that is complex and difficult to solve, and that we do not have all the levers, there is more that we can and must do to ensure that everyone has a decent home. This budget funds a range of initiatives to improve housing affordability, including to ensure that those who are struggling the most can find a safe place to call home.
These initiatives include the release of the build-to-rent prospectus. This exciting initiative can be used as a way to build affordable rental stock. The community housing sector has a key role to play in growing affordable housing stock. We look forward to seeing innovative proposals that will create additional rental stock and, most importantly, affordable rental stock.
The budget provides a further $30 million investment to support the growing and renewing public housing program, adding a further 140 new public housing dwellings. This will ensure that the ACT government delivers its commitment to grow our public housing stock by 400 properties. This will see hundreds more families with a safe and secure home. There is $57 million in investment to increase repairs and maintenance for public housing. As our public housing stock ages and as the needs of our tenants change, the need to ensure that homes are fit for purpose, contemporary and climate-wise is more important than ever.
The $2.21 million to further support our specialist homelessness services will enable more capacity to deliver emergency accommodation and crisis support. Importantly, there is also funding to better understand the needs of Canberrans facing homelessness and ensure that our direct responses, as community and government, best support them on their pathway to stable accommodation. The budget also includes a range of initiatives to increase overall housing supply in Canberra and improve affordability. These are good and important measures to help Canberrans who are looking for their own home and struggling in this heightened market. Lastly, I want to note the important raising of the household energy concession to $800, a necessary increase to help the people most struggling to pay their energy bills.
There is also a large investment in health in the budget. As we continue into our third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic and mental wellbeing impacts that result, we must remember that a community is about its people. Investing in infrastructure is important so that we have buildings and equipment for our healthcare workers to deliver the best quality care for the community. But the most important part of our health system is our people.
On a similar note, I mention that we welcome investment in the arts, particularly the 10 per cent increase in arts spending, but are concerned that so much of this money is spent on buildings rather than people. We need to foster the careers of our artists and ensure that they are viable and paid to produce excellent work if we are to achieve our statement of ambition for the arts. The point is: buildings can be great, but don’t forget about the people.
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