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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (29 February) . . Page.. 521 ..

MS McRAE (continuing):

Before I finish, there is one topic I would like to raise. It is something that we have heard very little about. At the beginning of 1995 a pilot project was begun in Belconnen to regionalise the management of housing. That was done as a result of a report that was undertaken while Mr Lamont was Minister. It was a recommendation in that report. Thus far we have had very little indication of how that initiative has progressed and whether further management changes are planned for the rest of the Housing Trust management across the ACT. I think it is about time that we got a report on that. It would be very helpful for the Assembly if we heard what was happening.

Housing provision is, as I have said, one of the most important social welfare issues in this Territory. I commend the Minister's initiative and encourage him and everyone involved not to be sidetracked by how much like the private sector the public sector could become. I think that what we really need to concentrate on is the very real social harmony challenges presented by the provision of housing services in the ACT. To this end, I think it is vital that the Minister keep the general public and the Assembly well informed of any new proposals or studies, that he do everything in his power to minimise discrimination and hardship for people who are in need of Housing Trust homes in the ACT, and that he continue on this quite welcome path of open and productive consultation with the ACT community to develop a plan for ACT housing.

MR DE DOMENICO (Minister for Urban Services) (4.43): I will be closing the debate.

MR SPEAKER: Mr De Domenico is speaking on behalf of the Minister, Mr Stefaniak.

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, I thank Ms McRae for her positive comments. It is nice to be able to stand up and say that there seems to be some accord between both sides of the house on the strategy presented by Mr Stefaniak. As Mr Stefaniak said when he presented this report to the Assembly, the Government strategy aims to provide a whole-of-government approach to the way we plan for housing in the ACT over the next decade. I think it is important that we do that, Mr Speaker, because the outcome of the strategy will be a housing plan for the ACT which will provide a framework for meeting the housing needs of all Canberra residents.

Mr Speaker, housing is a key link, as Ms McRae said, between social, economic, physical and environmental planning. I stress the words "environmental planning". As the Canberra community continues to grow and to diversify, it will be increasingly important to consider these linkages in a consistent and holistic way through strategic planning processes. A lot has been said about the lack of strategic plans and processes, especially by Ms Tucker and Ms Horodny; but it was pleasing to see that Ms McRae realises that the Government, taking on board the work done by Mr Lamont - it was started off by Mr Lamont - is now looking at that holistic approach in the planning process. To ensure that this happens, it has been decided to integrate, as Mr Stefaniak has said, the ACT housing strategy process with the metropolitan growth strategy which was announced in November last year. With the linking of these two processes, the final housing plan will be completed in coordination with the metropolitan review timetable. This revised timetable will allow for extensive and effective consultation on the key issues for Canberra's housing and future growth.

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