Page 4460 - Week 15 - Thursday, 22 November 1990
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Mr Berry: Yes.
MR COLLAERY: Mr Berry says, "Yes". He always has to find some ideologies somewhere; Vladimir has to, Mr Speaker. There is no ideology in this, I assure the house. This is a very careful and long awaited proposal, as Mr Moore recognises, at this stage, which is open to comment, in this chamber as well, to give low income earners particularly access to more affordable housing.
The Housing Trust is attempting to develop access to affordable schemes for people who are stuck on high mortgages at the moment. There have been discussions with leading banks and finance houses in recent times to see whether such a scheme cannot extend to the Housing Trust being involved in encouraging a joint approach, not only for public housing tenants but also for the private market. I am happy to give details of that in a briefing to members, if they like.
Mr Speaker, the suggestions from Mrs Grassby, that the Housing Trust is somehow departing from recognising the need to provide public housing to those who are genuinely in need of supported housing, fail to recognise the fact that when this Government commissioned a review of public housing rents by a very well-known, respected and recognised valuer partnership in this town - Wilkinson Swinbourne Underwood Valuers - it found that many of our rents were close to market rents because of the drops in the market and fluctuations in suburbs.
Mrs Grassby gave an example of a person at Yarralumla paying 85 per cent of market rent. It would not be surprising if that is not close to the market rent now. The other concerns that Mrs Grassby has about the progressive scheme being milked by people who may have second houses somewhere else are known to the Housing Trust people who are developing this policy and will be addressed when and if the Government proceeds with the proposal.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Proposed expenditure - Division 150 - Community Services, $48,447,500
MR BERRY (11.09): I must apologise to Mr Collaery in relation to his having taken an interjection on the issue of ideology. I did not intend that to apply to the Residents Rally party. We know that that party is opportunity driven, not driven by ideology.
Mr Kaine: Another cheap shot, Wayne. Why do you not get on with the debate?
MR BERRY: But it worked.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Please get on with it, Mr Berry.
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