Page 489 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 February 1993
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MR CONNOLLY: It will be voluntary, but we will be able to give significant encouragement for people to move to that system. The current arrears, as I say, are about 2.5 per cent to 2.9 per cent of rent. The vacated arrears - which Mr Cornwell is critical of - grow forever in the ACT system because we tend to be reluctant to write off bad debts. Some of these people who have done a bunk, gone to Queensland, gone wherever, died perhaps, may come back, and if they come back - - -
Mr Cornwell: Do let me know.
MR CONNOLLY: Not those who died, Mr Cornwell. If we keep the debt on the books, we can catch up with people who return to Canberra and re-register for public housing. Victoria has a remarkably good record on this. It has virtually no vacated debt because they automatically write it off their Housing Authority's books. They pass it notionally to debt collectors who can never do anything but produce accounts which look rather attractive. The simple fact is that the vacated arrears figure steadily grows in the ACT - it is $2.5m now. In 10 or 15 years' time it will be much greater because with people who do a bunk it just sits on the books. What do you do, Mr Cornwell? Do we employ 20,000 people to comb every caravan park and tenement in Australia to try to pursue someone who may have lived in the ACT? That is one of the reasons why we have moved to rent in advance rather than rent in arrears. When you people were running the show, you did not have the wit to introduce such schemes. We, however, have had the wit to introduce such schemes.
The issue of bad tenants is an emotive one. It is easy for Mr Cornwell to say, "You should shift people", but you must give people rights; you must hear both sides of the case. You, presumably, want me to have the power to evict that Housing Trust tenant. Should it apply to private tenants as well if you have a dispute with your neighbour? If your neighbour says, "Look, I have had a blue with Mr Cornwell; he keeps his sprinkler on and it gets my cat wet", should I have the power to come in and say, "Mr Cornwell, your neighbour says that you are a nasty resident and you must leave the house"? Obviously, that would be absurd, and what you are suggesting, Mr Cornwell, is just as absurd.
Private tenants and public tenants all have rights and we have to balance the complaint of one party with the complaint of another. In most neighbour cases you will find that both sides are making accusations against the other. However, where the problems are intractable we do move people and we do it on a quite regular basis. The attack on public housing which we heard from Mr Cornwell, as I have said, is nothing new. It was gone into in great depth in the Estimates Committee last year; they did not find any problems with these allegations that Mr Cornwell was making then. I do not think any inquiry would take the matter any further. This is a political attack, and I would urge members to reject this call for a wasteful and politically motivated inquiry.
Debate (on motion by Ms Szuty) adjourned.
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