Page 3230 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 21 September 1994
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Housing Trust Personnel - Alleged Assaults
MR CORNWELL: Madam Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Housing and Community Services, and I trust that I shall have as comprehensive a response as he just delivered to the last two questioners. I am advised that recently there were two assaults upon Housing Trust personnel in the vicinity of the Allawah, Bega and Currong flats. I ask the Minister: What were the circumstances of the attacks? Were the personnel obliged to take leave? If so, have they returned to their positions, which I understand involve dealing with the Allawah, Bega and Currong flats? Thirdly, does this type of action occur regularly? If so, what protection do residents of the flats have if visiting Housing Trust officers can suffer such assaults?
MR LAMONT: I thank the member for his question. I am aware of difficulties that could be construed as meeting the general thrust of the member's question. I will investigate this. I simply do not have with me the information about the source of the attack and the detail of it; but I will provide you with an appropriate answer on that specific part of your question.
In relation to points 2 and 3, as you would be aware from announcements made in this Assembly since I have become the Minister, I have been extremely concerned about the total issue not only of safety but amenity and service at the ABC flats. I am pleased to be able to say, and I think it should be quite obvious, that the previous Minister was also extremely concerned about that issue and during his stewardship of this portfolio he instigated the community involvement in looking at those issues at the flats. The clients of the trust that are resident in the ABC flats are involved in that process. Also involved in that process are representatives of the police and other community based organisations, including my own Housing and Community Services Bureau personnel. They are involved in promoting and improving the quality of life issues associated with living in such a complex.
I think it needs to be understood that, while I do take responsibility for those matters within my portfolio - the buck does stop at my desk in relation to these issues - I cannot always be held accountable if somebody throws a whammy and attacks another person. I do take the responsibility of providing for support mechanisms in those circumstances and mechanisms that are designed to minimise that occurrence and to avoid it where possible. But I think you would appreciate, Mr Cornwell, that I am not personally responsible for the actions of every single individual in the ACT, and I think it would be inappropriate for you to suggest that I am in this case.
MR CORNWELL: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. The Minister might like to take this on notice because it is relevant, I think, to the first part of the question. Could you perhaps also take on notice the role of the Guardians, which I think is an organisation that you have set up in this matter, and could you advise of any steps that can be taken to try to minimise this sort of thing in the future?
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