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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2984 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

for example, in the Condamine Court redevelopment. Tenants will be offered other suitable accommodation. The rights of public housing tenants will also be strengthened as a result of a proposed new ACT residential tenancy law which will soon be introduced into the Assembly. Subject to consideration of a number of key issues relating to the scope and nature of public housing, the Government has agreed in principle that ACT Housing tenancies will be brought under the protection of the proposed new law. Under this proposed new legislative regime, ACT Housing tenants, for the first time, will have protections identical or equivalent to those enjoyed by private sector tenants in key areas such as rent setting, condition of premises, urgent maintenance, access for inspections, resolution of tenancy disputes by an independent tribunal, tenancy termination and the treatment of abandoned goods.

I come now to the implications of the longer-term reforms. Essentially, the longer-term reforms proposed for housing assistance involved the States and Territories taking full responsibility for provision of public housing and the Commonwealth taking full responsibility for the provision of rental subsidies. The Federal Liberal-National Party housing and urban design policy issued prior to the last Federal election gave a commitment that existing public housing tenants would not be disadvantaged as a result of the implementation of the longer-term reforms. These reforms were initiated by the former Federal Labor Government, which undertook consultations with community and industry sector representatives in December 1995 and January 1996.

At its meeting on 14 June 1996 in Canberra, the Council of Australian Governments reaffirmed its support for the move towards long-term reform of housing assistance whereby the Commonwealth will accept responsibility for rental subsidies and the States and Territories will take responsibility for management and delivery of public housing services. COAG agreed that the Commonwealth would forward a detailed reform package to the States and Territories for consideration by the end of August this year. I am advised that this package is now being finalised and is expected to be released by the Prime Minister in mid-September for consideration at the Housing Ministers conference in Darwin on 20 September.

Details of the proposed new arrangements are still unclear. I think we have been talking of 1 July 1997 for the new agreement. I think we are being very optimistic indeed. Details of the proposed new arrangements are still unclear. However, I was very pleased to hear Senator Newman, the Commonwealth Minister for Social Security and Minister for Housing in the Federal Government, recently state that in principle the 25 per cent ceiling on rent payments as a proportion of income would remain in place. I think that is good news for a lot of people, because there was considerable concern in relation to whether that might be a little higher.

The States and Territories, Madam Deputy Speaker, will agree to the proposed new arrangements only if the detailed terms and conditions are satisfactory. I am sure my colleagues opposite Ms Follett and Mr Wood, who have been to various ministerial meetings, know that they can be quite fiery, and often ideological positions, in terms of what party you belong to, go out the window because you are there to represent your State or Territory. Certainly, from the discussions that have been held at the ministerial meetings in relation to this to date, it is quite obvious that the States and Territories will have to be happy with the new arrangements before the final agreement goes ahead.

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