Page 1914 - Week 09 - Thursday, 19 October 1989
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It also, of course, recognises and it provides for people with special needs. Housing policy and programs must be sensitive to the needs of people: that is our number one priority in government. The Government will be examining how all its policies are meeting the needs of older people, people with disabilities, Aboriginals, youth, women and families in crisis, and people from non-English speaking backgrounds. I suggest that those groups of people are the ones who will be most disadvantaged by the recent announcements by the Liberal-National Party coalition at Federal level in terms of tax policy.
In meeting the needs of these people, it will be essential to improve links between programs run by different agencies. This is being facilitated in government through the initiative that the Chief Minister has taken in establishing the Social Justice Unit within her portfolio. This is not a process to increase or complicate bureaucracy. It is an essential part of our planning and commitment. We aim to achieve a good quality of life for all Canberra people at a time when resources are limited. To achieve this, we know how important it is to monitor the coordination and delivery of services.
The recent national housing policy review by the Commonwealth Government identified the need to improve coordination between housing and support programs as one of its four priorities for action. In my portfolio there are programs like home and community care and the supported accommodation assistance program which are closely linked to housing and provide an excellent basis for continued coordination of caring and support for people most in need.
Let me illustrate this point by detailing the arrangements for planning the supported accommodation assistance program - which is within my area of responsibility and which I have mentioned, as members of the Assembly may recall, in a previous ministerial statement to the Assembly - and the crisis accommodation program which is administered by Mrs Grassby.
We have agreed with the Commonwealth Government that we will develop annual strategic plans for the operation of these programs. The plan will be based on available data and indicators of need, including advice from the community. Officers of my department, the Housing Trust and community representatives have been working hard in recent months to identify the target groups and priorities for 1989-90. The committee is working to examine access, equality, equity and participation issues in the delivery of services.
The coordinated plan will help ensure that homeless people in crisis in Canberra will have access to adequate and appropriate transitional supported accommodation and related support services. I welcome this review of the housing policy as we prioritise and plan from a social justice perspective. I am also concerned to remind Mr
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