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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (30 August) . . Page.. 3789 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

As members are aware, this area of the law has been the subject of considerable debate in recent times. I am delighted that the Assembly passed some very sensible amendments to the Bail Act relating to one particular area, that of repeat offences, and I think already we are seeing the benefits of that.

Bail is a difficult area of the law, Mr Speaker. It involves many competing considerations. I would like to thank the commission for its detailed discussion of the relevant issues. The report contains many sound recommendations for reform. Certainly, a number of things jump out. Speaking for this side of the house, the Liberal Party, there are a number of things there which we would be very keen to progress. Given the timing of the report, it will be up to any incoming government, be it us or the other lot, to formally respond to it. In the meantime, Mr Speaker, I have much pleasure in commending this report to the Assembly.

Public Housing-Select Committee

Additional government response

MR MOORE (Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services) (4.10): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the following paper:

The Role of Public Housing in the ACT-Select Committee-Report (presented 9 May 2000)-Additional Government response, dated August 2001.

I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

In July 1999 this Assembly established a select committee with wide-ranging terms of reference. The committee completed its report, making 14 recommendations, in March 2000. The report was tabled in this Assembly on 9 May 2000.

The government tabled its response to the committee's report on 5 December 2000. On 7 December 2000 the Assembly, after considerable debate, passed the following resolution:

That the Assembly, having considered the Government's response to the Report of the Select Committee on the Role of Public Housing, requires the Government to prepare a revised response to recommendations 1, 2, 3, 7 and 9, and to respond to paragraph 3.104.

These recommendations relate to security of tenure for public and community housing tenants, segmentation of the applicant list, the rental bonds loans scheme, and the establishment of an emergency relief fund. Paragraph 3.104 relates to the withdrawal of rent rebates after absences by tenants of more than three months.

Mr Speaker, the government has now reviewed our earlier responses and has provided additional responses addressing the Assembly's resolution. I want to reiterate to the Assembly that the government continues to be committed to the reforms that have now been introduced.

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