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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 2454 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

You say that $5m has been paid to commercial banks for the Kick Start home purchase scheme. Mr Speaker, this one really is a doozey. Ms Reilly claims that we have provided $5m to the commercial banks through Kick Start. Kick Start has been explained to you on a number of occasions, Ms Reilly. I am beginning to wonder whether you are ever going to get it right. That statement by you is not only wrong; it really reflects the ignorance of this member on this issue. She should know that Kick Start is provided as a grant - I will say that again - as a grant to an applicant; it is not paid to a bank or to a developer. Kick Start provides for $5,000 to be provided as a contribution to the deposit on a new home, Ms Reilly. In addition, grantees can obtain further assistance such as stamp duty concessions and waiver of application fees. The total benefit under Kick Start is up to about $7,500. Ms Reilly's comments are unnecessary and a completely incorrect distortion of the facts. I do not think that does you any credit there. You should, at least, know what Kick Start is about by now.

Also, there is this amazing comment by her that we have underspent by $7m on maintenance. She has this wrong, because we are actually spending $7m more this year. She is a bit off with her figures. For her to claim that the Government has underspent on maintenance would be laughable if it were not so serious. Not only, Mr Speaker, have we increased maintenance by $7m this year - and that is also, interestingly enough, $7m more than Labor spent in its last year of government - but this year's allocation is an actual increase, too, in real terms, over last year. We spent every dollar allocated to us for maintenance last year. As an example, we will be spending $4m over the next two years at the Allawah and Bega flats to improve heating and ventilation and to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms.

Ms Reilly then talks about the waiting list, I hear you say, Mr Hird. This really is an absolute classic. She talks about the waiting list being over 4,000, with waiting periods increasing for one- and two-bedroom flats in Belconnen to five and 41/2 years respectively. Again, Ms Reilly simply has her facts wrong. It is interesting, Mr Speaker, that in 1993 the waiting list reached 8,900. It dropped to about, I think, 7,300 only when this Government came to office. As at 30 June this year, the waiting list was 3,324. That is a reduction of over 4,000 during the term of this Government, or a reduction of over 50 per cent. We have halved the waiting list, whereas Labor could barely manage a 14 per cent reduction over a comparable period during its term in office.

As far as waiting times are concerned, a two-bedroom flat can be obtained, I am advised, Ms Reilly, in Belconnen in approximately 12 months' time. This type of misinformation, this distortion, is just needlessly concerning some of our clients; it is mischievous. I will give you some more briefings if you need them, Ms Reilly, but please try to get your facts right.

MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question, Mr Hird?

MR HIRD: Yes, Mr Speaker. My supplementary question is: Is it a fact, Minister, that the Opposition once again are scaremongering and have their facts wrong? Is that true?

MR STEFANIAK: Yes.

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