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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4137 ..

Mrs Carnell: I do not think we should bother, then!

MS TUCKER: No, I probably should not! Maybe I could turn it into something really negative. I believe that this is a very important matter. My work as chair of the Social Policy Committee during the past three years has highlighted for me the enormous and urgent need for the ACT to have its own comprehensive and well-researched framework for the planning and delivery of social welfare and community services within its boundaries.

Mrs Littlewood: Where is the evidence?

MS TUCKER: I do have evidence, and I will provide it; but I will not reveal any of my sources! The Local Government Association of New South Wales stated in 1993:

Social planning is the process of investigating and responding to the needs and aspirations of the people who live or work in a community.

The consequences of the lack of a social plan in the ACT have been made very clear to me through inquiries by the Social Policy Committee into issues as diverse as disability services, mental health, violence in schools and, most recently, services for children at risk. We have found consistently a very concerning lack of understanding of the current unmet need and no real documentation of projected need. When I say that, I am referring to government. When I ask government agents, they say that they are not that sophisticated in their work at this point. However, the community sector, which are often closely in touch through their service delivery functions, recognise and are very concerned about the unmet need. They have some information on that.

I am sure members will recall the exchange between me and Minister Stefaniak - it would have been amusing if it had not been so tragic - on the rate of homelessness in the ACT. I asked him what he thought the level was and he answered that he did know; that anecdotally he had heard that there were seven. After a hurried discussion with the officer, he said that it was not anecdotal after all; it actually came from the Australian Bureau of Statistics that we had seven homeless people. I then asked, "What is the definition of homelessness in the ABS census?". Of course, the bureaucrats did not know and thought it was not really their concern.

Debate interrupted.

MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 5.00 pm, I propose the question:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Mr Humphries: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.

Question resolved in the negative.

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