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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (23 October) . . Page.. 4010 ..
MR SPEAKER
: Come to the point of the question, Mr Wood.MR WOOD
: I concede that is extending it a bit, Mr Speaker, but I would like to see the Liberals' policy on providing assistance to these areas that Mrs Burke is complaining about.MRS BURKE
: Minister, what are you and your government going to do to provide timely and adequate support and facilities for people with a mental health disability currently living in ACT Housing properties?MR WOOD
: I have outlined in general what is happening, as we continue to provide resources to the mental health people. I have worked assiduously in that area and this continues. I might say, it continues at a considerably higher level than it did when your lot were in government.Mr Corbell
: Three and a half million extra, recurrent, every year on mental health.MR WOOD
: Three and a half million, yes.MR SPEAKER
: Order, government members, please!Gold Creek Homestead
MRS CROSS
: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services, Mr Wood. Minister, your party promised before the last election that Gold Creek Homestead and grounds would be retained for community use. After the election a committee was formed and overseen by PALM, who were to be able to decide how the process was to be organised.I have had complaints from constituents that the committee was formed in secret, met in secret and did not report to the public, so no-one knew what was happening. They commissioned a Totalcare report on the condition of the homestead, and this was released in December 2000 but, up to very recently, very little maintenance seems to have been done. I have been advised that the committee had disintegrated and nothing was done, so a public meeting was held on 24 June. The motions passed at the meeting were hand delivered to all of us here.
Minister, you wrote a letter dated 5 August this year saying that the Gold Creek Homestead Community Working Group had been given a copy of the December audit, but you did not mention that the committee no longer existed. You did mention, however, that Totalcare was doing minor maintenance. The community members cannot confirm this as no-one is allowed onto the property. This, of course, makes them feel cut out of the process.
Minister, will the government provide an action plan for the stabilisation of the homestead buildings and surrounds, confirm that there will be open and transparent consultation on the future use of the site, which should include suggestions already submitted by community members, and gather new input from Gungahlin and the wider community?
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