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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2599 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

flexible scheme which is being worked on at present by the various bureaucrats in the system. It is due to come in during the second half of next year and basically enables the States and Territories to be the managers of the property and the Commonwealth, effectively, gives a rent subsidy for the tenants. That gives a lot more flexibility in terms of management of the scheme. As I said to Mr Moore, that in itself enables tenants to access the private rental market because their ability to pay is simply going to be topped up. I think it is important that members realise what that is.

Mr Berry: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Was the Minister's answer no?

MR SPEAKER: No; the Minister is answering the question. There is no point of order.

MR STEFANIAK: I am answering the question. Mr Speaker, I think we need to put - - -

Ms Follett: With respect, he is not.

Mr Berry: Is the answer yes?

MR SPEAKER: I cannot hear the Minister. If I cannot hear the Minister I will probably have to ask him to repeat the answer.

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, I think we have to appreciate what the new Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement is, the philosophy behind it, what it is aiming to do, the fact that a lot has to be worked out yet, and actually where it all started from. That is important in terms of this question: Are we always going to basically replace housing on a one-for-one basis? There may simply not be the need for that, Ms Follett, as a result of the new Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement, because it does give a lot of flexibility. We will need to see how a number of things pan out. They include, basically, how the rental rebate which will be given to the tenants affects tenants who are on a low income and who would have greater access to other schemes, apart from just government housing. On that basis, Ms Follett, I cannot say yes, we will always replace a unit of property with another unit of property. Under the new scheme there is a lot more flexibility there. What this Government is going to do - and I hope you would, if you returned to these benches - is carefully monitor how the new scheme works, so that it does not apply detrimentally to our public tenants.

I can certainly assure you, Ms Follett, that there will always be a number of people who will be dependent on public housing. There will always certainly be - and I would think this applies in Canberra - a considerable demand for appropriate types of public housing and various types of public housing, because there will simply be some sectors which I do not think will have access to the private sector or the private sector would necessarily take up. Quite clearly, there will be, for the foreseeable future, public housing in the ACT. What we aim to do is ensure that it is appropriate, that it is delivered as cost effectively as possible, that our tenants' rights are respected and that we can provide the best possible housing for them in the circumstances. The new scheme will give a lot more flexibility to the provision of public housing Australia-wide.

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