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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2981 ..

MS REILLY (continuing):

Already we have had some indication of what is going to happen with the changes in ACT public housing. We have talked about selling 200 and constructing another 200 this year, which will leave you with exactly the same amount of housing. There will be no net increase in the number of housing units. We still have a large waiting list. It was said to be nearly 4,000 the other day. Really, it comes down to that basic question. The ACT community needs to know whether the strong public housing sector is to be maintained. There are many reasons for it to be there. What will happen to the funds from the sales that are needed to continue to have a dynamic housing sector? Will they be reinvested? We need to know how the ACT Government will take on its new responsibilities in nine months' time for the management of the public housing stock without some of the restrictions that were within the old Commonwealth-State housing agreements.

Let us not second guess at this time what the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement will say. What we need to say is what we are going to do in the ACT for our public housing sector, and that is what is important. We need to say what sort of public housing we need in the ACT. Many people want to retain the public housing sector in the ACT and maintain it in government ownership. They want the obvious social benefits that come from this ownership. The strength of our public housing sector signals to the rest of Australia that the ACT is a fair and supportive community, and we need to maintain that.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Housing and Family Services) (4.56): Firstly, I want to respond to a couple of points which Ms Reilly raised. Actually, it is the Carnell Liberal Government, not the Carnell Labor Government. That was one point. You talked about the previous Federal Labor Government, Brian Howe and model B. What is being discussed and what we still have not seen is the final format. It still has to be worked out over the next period of months.

Mrs Carnell: And we have not agreed to it.

MR STEFANIAK: And we have not agreed to it, as the Chief Minister says. The upshot of model B is the new Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement. But I think it is important to put on record the fact that what all State and Territory governments and the Commonwealth Government will be looking at over the next nine months or so - probably longer; I think they are optimistic if they think the new permanent agreement is going to come in on 1 July next year - is, in fact, the brainchild of Brian Howe of the former Keating Labor Government. I think that does need to be said.

Yes, Ms Reilly, it would have been nice if the better cities program had continued; and, yes, I was delighted that we got that money for Condamine Court. I announced that, in conjunction with a number of other people, on 6 February. That is an excellent development, and the Government will continue to praise that excellent development. Also, I can certainly assure you that the Government in the ACT will continue to be a big player in terms of public housing, and that is regardless of what final agreement is made.

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