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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2679 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

We did not want suburbs that were predominantly public housing or, for that matter, suburbs that had no public housing. That is what we currently have, Mr Speaker. In Braddon 46 per cent of dwellings are public housing. I am sure everyone in this house would say that that is far too much in any one suburb. In Ainslie 32 per cent of dwellings are public housing. Again, that is far too much. Campbell and a number of other suburbs have 2 per cent or 3 per cent and O'Malley has 0 per cent. We have always said that we want public housing shared all the way across our city in a totally integrated and fair manner. Mr Lamont, the previous deputy leader of the party opposite, started significant public consultation about this issue. We have discussed it in this place before, and we have determined that the current mix in some suburbs is simply wrong and needs to be changed.

Fifty per cent of public housing is in the three-bedroom category, but only 8 per cent of those on the waiting list are actually eligible for three-bedroom houses. The mix is simply wrong. Thirty-two per cent of our public housing tenants are aged 55 or over, but only 10.5 per cent of our current housing stock is actually purpose built for aged people and appropriate for those people. Twenty per cent of our public housing is three- or four-bedroom dwellings with one person in them. We believe that a lot of single people in three- and four-bedroom houses would prefer to be in more appropriate accommodation. Many of them are actually aged people. We need more APUs. We need more one- and two-bedroom units for people. The motion says:

the mix of housing types and sizes including the location of public housing throughout the ACT community be maintained;

I think that is at absolute odds with what we want. As an Assembly, not just on this side, I thought we wanted to change our mix of housing types and sizes to more adequately reflect what the people who need public housing want in our community.

We also want public housing located right across Canberra, not concentrated in some suburbs rather than others. What we want, certainly on this side of the house, is public housing in every suburb, not a concentration of public housing. We do want a mix of housing types and sizes. We do want an equitable distribution of public housing right across Canberra, but the current mix of housing types and sizes does not reflect what the people who need public housing in Canberra want. That is not just our view but the view of the public housing tenants themselves. They too would feel that this was a dumb motion. They want a change.

Mr Whitecross: I would not go that far.

MRS CARNELL: That is true. A significant number of people want APUs. They want one or two bedrooms. If you pass this motion, the current mix will be maintained. The current mix is 50 per cent three bedrooms. Tenants do not want 50 per cent three bedrooms. Could I have an extension of time, Mr Speaker?

MR SPEAKER: You have a few seconds to go. Keep going and I will ask for an extension when the time comes.

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