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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (1 September) . . Page.. 2719 ..
MS CARNELL (continuing):
significantly raises the profile of Canberra region wine because it will be the first winery that will be able to produce enough wine to really get into the national and international markets. I understand that BRL Hardy is aiming at marketing its first Canberra region wine in time for the centenary of federation in 2001, and I think that will be very exciting.
MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Urban Services. Minister, ACT Housing tenants at Narrabundah long-stay caravan park continue to be concerned about their security of tenure. While you made certain concessions in your recent advice to them, this has not removed all their fears of the potential for detrimental change after a sale. Minister, you have argued that running a caravan park is not core business for ACT Housing, yet at other times you have expressed a need for a diversity of housing provision. Why is it that the provision of a facility that provides much needed low cost accommodation is not a core business of a responsive housing agency, or is it that you simply want the money that a sale would bring?
MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, the reality is that in order to go and stay in the long-stay caravan park you have to be in possession of a caravan. The tenants have told Mr Wood and I that many of these caravans are worth $20,000, $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 or $60,000, which, of course, would put them over the eligibility criteria for ACT Housing.
MR WOOD: I thought that was a bit high. There is no answer there at all.
Mr Smyth: There is an answer. You asked why.
MR WOOD: Nevertheless, let me impose further on the goodwill of the Minister. You are in the process of handing over a number of housing properties, at no cost, I might say, to Community Housing Canberra. Would you consider undertaking the same process for the Narrabundah long-stay caravan park if an appropriate organisation offers to assume management?
MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, the problem with the Labor Party's understanding of this is that, quite simply, to become a tenant of the long-stay park you have to own, in the main, an asset that takes you over the eligibility criteria. We on this side of the house are very proud because we wanted to extend the eligibility criteria. We wanted to raise the amount of assets that you could possess and be eligible for ACT Housing, but those opposite, with the assistance of the crossbenchers, have sent those reforms to a committee and are stopping people from getting into ACT Housing.
This Government cares about its tenants. This Government wants to get on with looking after the tenants and meeting their needs, but, in relation to the long-stay caravan park, the very fact that you choose to live in such a place and own such a mobile home would, in the main, make you ineligible to be an ACT Housing tenant.
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