Page 3019 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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services provided by my department because we care for the community as a whole and for the many individuals who rely on these services for many of their basic requirements.
My priorities have been caring for the needy; providing access to government services; consulting and listening to community views; addressing major policy issues; and reforming outdated legislation. I am proud of the way this Government has achieved these priorities within a very responsible and carefully considered budget which every member in this Assembly saw fit to pass.
Mr Speaker, social justice - in particular, caring for the needy - has been a high priority of this Government. Social justice is at the heart of every activity carried out in my portfolio. Nowhere is this more evident than in the housing area. The Chief Minister showed her Government's commitment to housing by establishing a comprehensive review of housing policy in the first days of her Government. This is the most significant reform of housing policy ever undertaken in the ACT. It has already produced outstanding results. The review has looked at all housing needs, not just those of the public sector.
We are redeveloping the Melba Flats. This is an exciting project. Tenants are being relocated over two to three years. This is the first time that this has been done in public housing in Australia - pulling down an old complex to build something better for people.
We have successfully negotiated a new 10-year Commonwealth-State housing agreement, with the ACT for the first time being a full partner. We have agreed to 280 additional dwellings being provided each year over the next four years. God help us if the Liberal coalition takes over. Mr Kaine has already said that he will sell off all the public housing - God help those people - and that we should be charging them a lot more rent.
We have set about reforming the ACT Housing Trust, with more community and tenant consultation. We have agreed to a rental bond trust, to increase protection of the consumer, and a private sector rental housing trust which will make available 500 more rental dwellings over the next five years.
We provided stamp duty exemptions for first home buyers and a mortgage relief system. We agreed to introduce a fidelity guarantee fund within the real estate industry to protect home buyers' deposits.
Mr Speaker, no government in Australia has responded as quickly and as effectively to assist homeless youth than the Follett Labor Government. We agreed to two new accommodation centres in Belconnen. I wish to thank FM104.7, the Belconnen Rotary Club and the Anglican Church which came to our aid very quickly in helping to make sure this was done if the money was not available to do it. It
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