Page 2554 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 1991
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There are just two or three points that I think are worthwhile noting. The Auditor-General refers, for example, to performance indicators and he says:
The Trust should not regard the achievement of a budgeted level of expenditure as a valid performance indicator. Indicators should measure the effectiveness of expenditure rather than the level of expenditure.
That is a very good comment. Of course, the trust could spend many millions of dollars and yet not be effective in what it does. I note, Mr Speaker, that the Auditor-General has also acknowledged that the trust has picked up a lot of these things. There is no dispute that they are probably addressing them and making sure that their performance is better in the future. He raises questions about the size of the housing waiting list and suggests that there should be a target set to measure the effectiveness of the performance of the waiting list - just who is on the waiting list and whether they really are genuine candidates for assistance from the Housing Trust. He says that they should review those with short-term needs and those whose circumstances are such that they could be assisted by forms of assistance other than an allocation out of the housing stock.
I think these are very important observations on the part of the Auditor-General and ones which the Housing Trust management and this Assembly should take on board. He refers to the spot purchase of houses rather than building them and suggests that there is some spot purchasing at the end of a financial year just to use up funds that happen to be available. This really does not do everything that it could do in terms of satisfying housing needs, certainly not in boosting the housing industry and our local economy. I think that is a fair comment. He speaks, Mr Speaker, about savings that might be achieved. He says:
... should ... the reduction of arrears to 40 per cent of fortnightly rental income net of rebate be achieved, there would be a saving of more than $400,000 a year.
That is a very significant amount. He says that a similar amount could be achieved by reductions in the vacancy turnaround period, greater control over expenditure on housing stock maintenance and upgrades, greater use of the rental relief scheme and a reduction in rental rebates.
So, Mr Speaker, we are talking about a potential saving here of something of the order of $800,000 - approaching a million dollars a year. They are very useful comments.
The trust obviously has taken these comments to heart and the Auditor-General acknowledges that; but I think it is worthwhile the members of this Assembly also noting that there is a very large level of activity out there in trusts
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