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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2362 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

but we will look to see how seriously the social aspects, which are more difficult to quantify and put a dollar figure on, are weighted in the analysis.

This budget shows evidence of a shift towards understanding the fundamental role of housing in the lives of disadvantaged people, which we welcome. In some senses, the work is in progress via the affordable housing task force and other reviews. Development of a strategic approach for the community development work will be useful and important. That is not specifically identified in the budget as I have found it, although I understand that there is a plan for a committee to oversee this work.

The establishment of the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services will provide an opportunity to coordinate the way these services work together and so improve the lives of the disaffected people who make up some of the public housing population. The allocation of funds to bring fire safety in housing complexes up to current Australian building code standards is a positive example of taking on a duty of care. Social housing more generally will be improved by an overall increase in both community housing properties and tenancies and public housing properties and tenancies. Community housing can provide a very valuable form of social housing for particular groups of people, so it is pleasing to see the sector being developed in this way.

It is of concern that the ownership agreement frames at least part of this increase in resources for community housing as a redirection of funds from public housing, but I understand that ACT Housing expects to be able to recover from this redirection through tightening up some of its systems and so reducing costs and that the Advance to the Treasurer of last year's budget supplied $10 million for the fire safety upgrade that does not show up here. I would like to put on the record, however, that this redirection of funds ought not to become a pattern for budgets in the future. We need both public and community housing. The government, on the other hand, does seem to understand in a way the previous government did not that there is a need to increase access to public and community housing.

The budget, at a glance, shows a decline in the number of tenancies managed from last year, but the more detailed planning in budget paper No 4 is for a significant increase in these two sectors, with social housing tenancies increasing from 11,490 to 11,760 and public housing tenancies managing an increase from 10,925-the original 2001-02 target-to 11,250 in 2002-03. That will help in the very tight house and rental market in which the ACT has been for some time.

If these positive changes acknowledging duty of care and being more proactive on behalf of public housing tenants and property spaces are carried through, along with the reversal of some of the changes made by the previous government towards so-called welfare housing, then we will see some positive changes in public and social housing. The $3 million allocated to implement outcomes from the affordable housing task force gives us some hope, too. This is not really a slush fund. It is more a reflection of some work in progress and being prepared to act once the plan is set. These improvements, in turn, will benefit the community as a whole.

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