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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 4 Hansard (2 April) . . Page.. 1260 ..

MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

Older persons housing has also been addressed, with a further 34 properties in Calwell and Gordon under construction. These properties will bring older persons housing in Tuggeranong to over 190 units. Tuggeranong has handed over the "Nappy Valley"tag to Gungahlin. In the northern part of Tuggeranong the demographics are changing quite starkly. We now have a lot of older residents in the post-55 age group and second generation families in the Tuggeranong Valley.

Housing is a finite resource within the Tuggeranong Valley. Some kids leaving home are not in a position to enter the private rental market so seek to be accommodated within the public housing system. When they do that, they want to be close to their family networks and their support mechanisms. The same thing can be said of older people coming into the valley to be closer to families and to social and other support mechanisms.

To be fair, the previous government deserves some credit for the purchase of 18 properties in Kambah during their term. I do not want to be seen to be particularly partisan on this issue. If I appear parochial, tough luck. But if I appear partisan, I do not mean to be.

This government has acted to address the growing desire of people to live in Tuggeranong. It is a particularly attractive place to live. It has many things to recommend it. Many people see that and want to move there. We have noted, an aim to meet the desire of many ACT Housing clients to be close to family and friends. It is important to note that Tuggeranong has reached a stage in its development where there are three generations living there. I can remember speaking to Mr Smyth about Tuggeranong when he had responsibility for housing in the last Assembly. He told me at that time that it was the most popular area for people wanting public housing.

I welcome the government's commitment to regularly update and turn over the housing stock to meet the changing needs of the community. Tuggeranong is quite a reasonable social laboratory. It opened up in 1974 and now has three generations living there. The demographics have changed over time.

Since the mid-1980s there has been a gradual decline in the share of public housing stock in the inner north and an increase in Tuggeranong. There has also been a change in the types of dwellings. The trend is towards smaller dwellings, reflecting the long-term decline in average household size in Canberra. Looking to the future, I hope to see a continuation of this trend. I am pleased that the government has taken steps to acquire more properties in Tuggeranong. I can only see demand for ACT Housing properties increasing in this wonderful area.

I am concerned about, and want to address, a common perception that increasing public housing in outer suburban areas is banishing low-income people to the fringes of the city. The policy of the government is to spread people within the public housing system across the ACT, avoiding the creation of public housing collectives. We are integrating public housing into and within existing communities.

When I married, I waited three years for a government house. In 1972 I moved into one in Holt. You would remember what Belconnen looked like in 1972, Mr Speaker. We used to boast that we had the tree in Holt, in our backyard. Those were the young days of West Belconnen-no grass, no trees, just young families establishing themselves.

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