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The Bill ensures the status of mobile homes. I think Mr Humphries would agree with me if I said that we would not be looking to see a great expansion in the provisions for mobile homes. They are a fact of life. I hope that great numbers of people do not now seek to acquire such villages. I am sure that Mr Humphries will watch carefully as applications are made to come under the provisions of the Act. The mobile home village that I have seen is a fine place. It is very well managed; the homes are of high quality; it is a pleasant and peaceful place; and it is a credit to the ACT. With those remarks, I endorse this Bill.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (4.14), in reply: Again I thank Mr Wood for his support for this legislation. His support is hardly surprising, given that he was involved in the preparation of the legislation. Mr Speaker, Mr Wood has touched on the very important issue of the use of these sorts of homes in the ACT context. In some parts of Australia, particularly in warmer climes, there are very substantial populations of people living in mobile homes. I suppose that one would want to be careful that we did not effectively create a very large alternative attraction for these sorts of homes over other sorts of homes in the ACT. People will sometimes make that choice for various reasons, but it is important that we do as Mr Wood suggests and monitor the level of such home ownership or home use in the ACT to ensure that we properly regulate this kind of accommodation industry.

But it is arrogance, I think, to suggest that in order to discourage ownership or use of mobile homes we effectively take away the capacity for people to buy them or to buy leases for those sorts of homes and borrow against those leases to finance their homes and their lifestyle. I think that it is important to ensure that we do provide that option. We will be monitoring the reaction to this legislation passing through the Assembly, but I am confident that it will provide many people who require that kind of choice with a real means to be able to get that choice. That is the important thing - to provide the greatest diversity of home ownership as is appropriate to the heavily planned nature of the city of Canberra.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

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