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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5066 ..

MRS BURKE (continuing):

base in an adversarial manner and seeing them getting battered by process, on top of everything else they may be grappling with, or worse still just struck down and, effectively, out.

This bill has been created in the spirit of seeing our housing tenants treated more humanely than perhaps we have previously seen in our system and putting different structures in place to handle them. Yes, every case is unique, some more difficult and complex than others, although each has some similarities. So, too, each individual resident is unique. As such, they deserve to be afforded, if they too are willing-that element of mutual obligation, if you like, is critical here-a better opportunity for their unique personal circumstances to be understood and guided, not virtually unilaterally crushed, by our systems and agencies.

Mr Speaker, I suppose that it is fair to say that so many of our residents find themselves struggling with a range of personal issues on a daily basis, both financial and non-financial-this observation is not limited to public sector rental; I am sure that managing agents and private landlords would agree-and are so caught up in so many other issues that the issue slowly emerging in the background concerning rent and having a roof over their head is somewhat sidelined in their priorities by the other more immediate dramas, maybe an assault, a child snatch, a robbery or where the next meal is coming from. On top of this, we humans, let's face it-it is pretty true for all of us whether we acknowledge it or not-are not good at admitting a problem, let alone seeking help for it.

It is hoped that by creating a process such as is outlined in this bill our citizens will be more comfortable in these areas by seeing the potential benefits to them if they are open, frank and timely in terms of their dealings with government. Something I have found this year in every case, with every individual who has contacted me with a problem, is that-surprise, surprise!-each of us handles life events differently.

What may be water off a duck's back to one member of our community is a major stressor, a near breakdown or, sadly, sometimes beyond breaking point for another. On the other hand, other circumstances which the latter person in the previous example pretty much sails through can be a situation that totally floors the first person. So we are really talking about a more positive, user friendly and flexible approach to issues surrounding financial circumstances, debt and the flow-on effects to a tenant's rental situation.

There are numerous potential benefits of this bill. Apart from the more obvious direct ones, let's face it, Minister Wood acknowledged himself earlier this year:

Housing is firm when it needs to be. It goes through a long process in respect of debts.

It certainly does that, as it should. Further, and this only illustrates the priority the minister gives or at least gave to this subject in his early months, he said, and he might like to listen to this:

One of the very early things I did when I became minister was put into the hands of every member the comprehensive detail that is gone through as processes to recover debts begin and to see that tenants pay their rent. It is very complex. It was a big A3

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