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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (7 August) . . Page.. 2472 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

tenants, as the Commonwealth and the ACT governments already provide eligible public tenants with similar assistance in the form of rebated rents.

Mr Hargreaves-through you, Mr Speaker-when somebody receives a rebate it means that the maximum they are paying is 25 per cent of their income. Therefore, even though we increased the rent-as we are required to do under legislation-it will not increase for people who are paying 25 per cent of their income unless their income increases.

So, if Labor seriously feel that there is something wrong with the program and what has just occurred, they need to change the legislation. This is an equitable way to operate; it is required under legislation for very good reasons. We are required to review the level of rent each year, and that happens. It is done on a suburb-by-suburb basis, but sometimes, as is the case with rates as well, an anomaly occurs in an area and the increase is inappropriate.

That is why we have the review process that Mr Hargreaves described. In fact, ACT Housing also wrote to people and said, "Look, if that happens come and talk to us first. If we can identify an anomaly, let's sort it out. But if it's not the case, that won't interfere with your right to go to the tribunal." It is a fair and equitable process.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary. Since the minister has just admitted that he has been in breach for the last four years by not doing anything and since, according to national figures, the ACT has the third highest private rents in the country, beaten only by Sydney and Darwin, and since this is causing great hardship in Canberra, adding to the number of people seeking emergency housing, why-a commencing question-isn't the government-

Mr Moore: Point of order, Mr Speaker!

MR SPEAKER: I understand. No supplementary has a preamble, Mr Hargreaves.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, I have no preamble.

MR SPEAKER: Just ask the question, please.

MR HARGREAVES: I have no preamble, Mr Speaker.

Mr Smyth: Mr Speaker, if that is not a preamble then it is a statement. That is also out of order, which means he has no supplementary. He should sit down.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, a preamble does not start with the word "since".

MR SPEAKER: Just ask the question.

MR HARGREAVES: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Why isn't the government acting in a responsible manner to protect low income earners by responsibly increasing rents according to the Residential Tenancies Act formula, instead of jumping onto the inflationary bandwagon of excessive rental increases?

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