Page 3797 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Housing ACT—maintenance
MR PARTON: My question is to the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development. Minister, I refer to an article in the Canberra Times on 13 November this year on the poor state of ACT housing, citing an incident that I referred to you where a tenant had a mice infestation in their house for two years. I refer specifically to quotes from Mr Zach Smith, the secretary of the ACT CFMEU. Mr Smith said:
Our union now regularly hears from workers at the bottom of the subcontracting pyramid about the shoddy practices that are rife in social housing maintenance …
Mr Smith added:
… there’s not much point in building new homes if the ACT government can’t guarantee they’ll be maintained to a basic standard.
Minister, why are shoddy practices rife in social housing maintenance in the ACT, as suggested by Mr Smith?
MS BERRY: I thank Mr Parton for the question. Of course, we work very closely with the CFMEU, with respect to issues that they raise on behalf of their members. I understand, from reading that article, that they have raised some concerns with regard to contractors within housing maintenance services. I would remind the Canberra Liberals that we have invested $140 million over the last two years in maintenance programs in our public housing, which is an extraordinary amount of funding to make sure that these public housing properties meet the needs of our tenants. Those maintenance programs include things like painting, carpet repairs and replacement, and kitchen and toilet replacements. There are a range of upgrades and refreshes of public housing to ensure that they meet the needs of our tenants.
If complaints are brought to my attention with regard to incidences that suggest that subcontractors who are providing work under the maintenance contract are not doing that work according to our requirements, we will follow that up. But I have not had a representation to my office on that at this point. Of course, we will listen to the CFMEU, if they raise those complaints, and ensure that we can address them.
MR PARTON: Minister, as housing minister, why is it that you cannot guarantee that Housing ACT properties will be maintained to a basic standard?
MS BERRY: $140 million has been invested over the last two years.
MR COCKS: Minister, are you considering bringing ACT housing maintenance back in-house and dispensing with an external contractor?
MS BERRY: If that were something that we were considering, it would not be something that we would announce here on the chamber floor.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, you are warned.
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