Page 1194 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 24 June 1992
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used in meeting the increased demand for housing. The prospect of wholesale sell-offs would become a reality if the Federal Government were to change. We would see a massive sale of public housing and an adoption of total reliance on the private market.
The private market has not shown a capacity to respond to people's needs; far from it. The supply of affordable housing is not a principle that the market holds dear. We often see incidents of discrimination because of a tenant's income or because of attitudes towards a tenant's suitability based on cultural perceptions. Under the proposals supported by the Liberals there is also no incentive to improve the supply of affordable housing, with the result that the rents in the ACT will continue to steadily climb, depriving even more people of affordable housing.
The Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement offers the Commonwealth and the States and Territories the most effective and efficient means of providing housing assistance. The range of programs and flexible approach offered by a joint Commonwealth and States approach to housing needs cannot be achieved by States acting alone or by single measures such as rent subsidies to private tenants. The economic activity generated by capital investment in housing is a valuable component of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement, contributing significantly to the ACT economy. Social justice is enhanced by a comprehensive approach to housing assistance, meeting the need of people in an appropriate and flexible manner. Only a continuation of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement, with suitable variations to meet the changing needs of clients, can provide a continuation of the range of housing assistance now provided by the Government.
I would like to warn people listening to continuing debate in this chamber to listen very carefully not so much to the Liberals' comments on the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement in particular, but to the colour of comment in general terms on housing assistance across the board. I think that if they listen carefully to those comments they will share my alarm at the attitude that they display quite openly to people in our community who may, for one reason or another, require government-assisted housing.
MRS GRASSBY (3.45): Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on the importance of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement. As Minister for Housing and Urban Services in the first Follett Government, I was pleased to be able to use the funds that the Commonwealth Government made available for housing in the ACT. I was pleased because I knew that these funds were available for housing and would not and could not be diverted to other uses. This money from the CHA gave me, as Minister for Housing and Urban Services, the opportunity to demolish one of the greatest disasters in Canberra, namely, Melba Flats. In their place private and public housing will now be built in a more aesthetic style for Canberra. In the 1989-90 financial year 100 replacement houses were provided. You would be aware that this most successful program continued over the years. All residents of the Melba complex were successfully rehoused. Demolition has now been completed and the site is available for redevelopment.
Madam Speaker, the use of section 96 of the Constitution to give financial assistance to the States has enabled Federal governments to implement far-reaching policies over the years. The Whitlam Government, for instance, was able to implement programs in States, such as Queensland, that may have been
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