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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (7 December) . . Page.. 3883 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

It is great that through things like the tenant of the month and the tenant of the year we highlight those wonderful tenants out there, some of whom have been with us for 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. Bill Stefaniak is to be congratulated for this. Some of these tenants have been with us for short times, others have been with us for decades and decades. This just says to the public that, like the majority of people in your street in private accommodation, most of them are good. There are the occasional tenants who perhaps need to lift their game, but some people like that are in private accommodation as well.

How are we trying to beat this stigma? By putting out examples of the good tenants and praising them because they deserve the praise. How are we doing it? By breaking down the concentrations; to salt and pepper around the city in appropriate sorts of accommodation so that you don't even know that it's a public housing property, and by setting up examples of best practice.

Condamine Court has won awards because it is considered best practice. I understand that Macpherson Court has just won a national community housing award, as has, I understand, Havelock House for the way that they operate. So we do have best practice here in the ACT, and the government supports that.

Mr Speaker, this is about looking after those most in need first, and that is absolutely and entirely appropriate. This government will do that. Why? Because we know what we are doing. Why? Because we have looked at ways of making it work better. Why? Because we are putting in the money to look after these folk. We are making sure that the counselling services are there. We are making sure that we are providing them with other options so they do not get into trouble. You can look at the evidence of that, such as the way the eviction record has gone down under this government.

One of the initiatives that Mr Moore is working on is how we treat outstanding debt from couples who have separated. Often the bloke scarpers and the woman who is left with the children is picking up the combined debt of the couple whereas she, in the main, may be innocent of that. We will look at that because these are the people who are most in need, and this is the government that understands and is out there building up social capital through the public housing system.

Mr Speaker, it is appropriate to make these changes. It is about caring. We continually get patronising words from Ms Tucker. Look at the patronising nature of the motion. Some members misread the government's response and try to portray it as something that it is not. That is unacceptable. This motion must go down, and the government will be supporting Mr Moore's amendment.

I believe that Bill Stefaniak did a very good job as housing minister when he started the big flat strategy because we looked at the problems. I am very proud of my time as housing minister and the work that has been done, such as the way that we are now progressing the housing stock, the way that we are progressing the management of the stock, and the way that we are going to change the nature of the stock. We need to change these criteria. Mr Speaker, we will be supporting the amendment. We will not be supporting Ms Tucker in what she is attempting to do here today.

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