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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (11 May) . . Page.. 1437 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

We also recommended that complaints mechanisms be made more consistent for community housing tenants and public housing tenants, and the majority of the committee recommended that the Essential Services (continuity of Supply) Act 1992 be amended to allow issues of eviction of public housing tenants to be dealt with. This obviously reflects the view that housing is an essential service. The committee has also recommended that the government take into account the poverty task group work when considering minimum rent and exclusion barriers for residents.

Related to this is the concern about housing for young people who can be very vulnerable. We have recommended that government make a plan for the accommodation needs of single people. This recommendation was echoed recently in another report coming from the youth sector. There was concern expressed also about the unclear role of ACT Housing in the development of policy. As a provider, it was apparently consulted, but other providers were not. The committee has recommended that the divisions be made clear.

The committee has also recommended that the government continue to provide a rental bonds loan scheme, with improved processes of recording action on applications. The committee was of the view that the problems raised by the Auditor-General should be looked at but that it was not appropriate to scrap the whole scheme as its response to the Auditor-General's concerns. All other states and territories offer rental bond loan schemes, and overwhelming evidence to the committee from community organisations, as well as from the federal Minister for Community Services, expressed concern, the latter being because of the impact on refugee families.

I encourage all members of this Assembly to read our report. Provision of safe and secure housing is an important issue for any society, and this report represents a clear picture of the community's concerns about this government's current proposal. I would hope that all members read it because regardless of what portfolio responsibilities people may have, this is such an important social issue that every individual member needs to be really clear on what the community has said on this very important issue.

MR WOOD (11.35): Mr Speaker, the consultation by way of this committee was the consultation that the government did not undertake before it made a sweeping range of announcements in the last budget. I hope there are no surprises in the next budget and no announcements that have not been thought through and worked through with those concerned well beforehand.

I found the inquiry and each compilation of the process leading up to the report to be very interesting and rewarding. I learned a lot in an area where I thought I had fairly good connections and knew a deal already. The inquiry has been most informative and I would urge the government to pay very careful attention to the report.

It is a unanimous report, and that is always impressive and noteworthy. I think the government will need to accept the recommendations. If the government decides it does not want to accept the recommendations it may find trouble here on the floor of the Assembly. It is a well reasoned report and it is at odds with quite a few of the proposals made by the government, now nearly a year ago.

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