Page 1919 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 May 1991
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Housing - Alleged Crisis
MR JENSEN: Mr Speaker, my question is to Mr Collaery, in his capacity as Minister for Housing. I direct the Minister's attention to suggestions in some quarters that there is a housing crisis. Firstly, Mr Collaery, is this correct? What is being done, particularly, to address the requirements with regard to student accommodation in the ACT?
MR COLLAERY: I thank Mr Jensen for the question. Mr Speaker, yes; the Real Estate Institute and the Housing Industry Association both acknowledged last week that the private rental housing market was very tight. The informed advice that we received from those organisations was that this is a precursor to an uplift in the housing market itself. Rental accommodation becomes tight when the market takes up, and, as a conveyancing solicitor over many years, I recognise those signs.
Mrs Grassby had to put out a press release and start a process in this town suggesting that we had a major crisis. I accept that we do have the homeless here. It is a matter that our Government has done much to tackle without criticism from Mr Burdekin or informed community agencies. Taking advantage of the Real Estate Institute's release, Mrs Grassby went on to make allegations that I had reduced the allocation of beds at Ainslie hostel. I tabled a letter yesterday that conclusively answers that, and I will not proceed, other than to say that that totally disproves her allegations.
But, moving to the other allegation, I want to say that during our time in government we have ensured a constant supply of rental housing accommodation. The available rental stock in this town of less than 300,000 people is 12,386 dwellings. That is a massive holding by any town of this size. And it is supplemented by a rent relief program which provides a subsidy for eligible tenants in private rental accommodation.
Mr Connolly: They need 24 hours' notice to answer questions here.
MR COLLAERY: And $1.5m will be spent on this program this year. I heard Mr Connolly say that I needed 24 hours notice. If Mrs Grassby had not called a quorum - tactically - yesterday I could have answered this matter. She called a quorum, as we all saw, and my time expired.
Mr Kaine: She should have raced around and made sure that her mates were in the chamber, instead of out there.
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