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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 3 Hansard (26 March) . . Page.. 622 ..

Mr Hird: There are a couple of Greens posters still around.

Ms McRae: You should clean them up then.

MS HORODNY: It is interesting that it is Mr Hird and Ms McRae who talk about posters. Do you know your own electorate, Ms McRae and Mr Hird? Are you aware that billboard space is lacking in those centres? The issue that is important here is that we do not have billboard space. That is what is critical here, and, as members in that electorate, I think it is your responsibility to take this issue very seriously. There simply is not adequate billboard space for community groups to poster information about meetings, about gatherings and about things that are going on in their areas. It is a very important issue, and I think it is one this Assembly needs to take very seriously.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MR WHITECROSS: My question is directed to Mr Stefaniak as Minister for Housing and Family Services. What discussions have taken place between you or the Government and real estate agents or other organisations in the private sector regarding the privatisation of the Housing Trust? Have you or the Government held discussions with a real estate agent regarding the privatisation or the contracting out of the management of Housing Trust properties, including rent collection, debt management and drive-by snooping on tenants?

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Whitecross, the new Leader of the Opposition - - -

Mr De Domenico: This week.

MR STEFANIAK: This week. He has certainly come up with a doozey there - the contracting out of the Housing Trust. For Mr Whitecross's edification, the Housing Trust is, of course, the biggest owner of houses in the Australian Capital Territory. It has some 12,500 clients; it has about 12.8 per cent now, I think, of all properties in the Territory; and certainly it is dependent upon the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement. There might be significant problems under the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement in relation to contracting out the entire Housing Trust.

For Mr Whitecross's benefit, of course this Government is looking at efficiencies and the proper operation of services, just like they did. In fact, we have introduced quite a number of the more sensible measures proposed by the previous Government. We are looking at ways in which some operations of the Housing Trust can be contracted out. But to contract out the entire Housing Trust, I think, would be an absolute impossibility, Mr Whitecross.

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