Page 3547 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 12 October 1994
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MR LAMONT: Madam Speaker, I wish to make a ministerial statement outlining a major reform of ACT housing assistance and service arrangements provided by this Government. The Follett Government is committed to the principle that access to appropriate, affordable and secure housing is the right of every Canberra citizen, regardless of income. The Government is committed to having an efficient public housing system in conjunction with a range of other effective housing assistance measures. A key component of government housing objectives is support for a robust and innovative private building sector.
The principal form of housing assistance in the ACT is the public rental housing system. Other forms of housing assistance include rent relief assistance to tenants renting privately; home purchase assistance through the issue of home loans, and the provision of loan repayment assistance and mortgage relief assistance for private borrowers; special needs services for disadvantaged people in the community, including Aboriginals, youth, single parents, people with disabilities and our aged residents; and separate programs to encourage and support community association and cooperative housing. In total, around 20,000 ACT households are in receipt of similar types of assistance.
The Government announced in its 1993-94 budget a resource review of the ACT Housing Trust, the housing review. The objective is to improve the client services provided by the Housing Trust and to ensure the most effective utilisation of the resources that are available for housing assistance and services. The terms of reference endorsed by the Government for the housing review were wide, for they envisage extensive reforms which will enhance every aspect of the Housing Trust's operations. The Government's first priority has been to drive operational improvements for the more effective delivery of service to Housing Trust clients.
It is important to recognise, however, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, the improvements to housing that the ACT Government has already delivered to the community, and I would remind the Assembly of some of those achievements: The significant task of rehousing over 300 public tenants living in the former Melba Flats and the rejuvenation of this site with a mixture of public and private housing; providing tenancy and property services to over 12,000 public tenants and 4,000 mortgagors, most of whom require financial assistance with their rent and loan repayments; developing an extensive range of home loan options to meet people's different home financing needs; developing innovative financing arrangements for new housing, including private rental leasing arrangements and the Calyan model for shared home ownership for people with disability; implementing a detailed plan to develop and support the growth of the community housing sector; increasing the quality of information provided to Housing Trust clients, including the introduction of well-supported home purchase information nights; and the Housing Trust itself earning deserved recognition as a leader in the design of new housing, particularly in aged persons units, energy efficient housing for public tenants and home buyers, and various medium density redevelopments.
These specific achievements have been significant. The Government has felt that it is important not only to ensure the effective operation of the Housing Trust but also to establish a strategic focus whereby the Housing Trust continually improves the services it delivers and the manner in which it delivers and evaluates them. It is for this reason that I am pleased to outline the major changes that are now being implemented.
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