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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 5261 ..

MR WOOD (continuing):

government commissioned a study to identify what library products and services older people need now and in the future, and to develop a long-term strategy for delivering.

The study involved wide consultation with stakeholders and identified many factors that combined to define the services needed and used by older people, including their mobility, physical and mental health, economic status, cultural and linguistic background and social networks and supports. The strategy provides a framework for designing services that will serve an older person, regardless of their social situation, mobility, health or ethnic background.

I commend the strategy to the Assembly. It is a good one.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Disallowable instruments

Papers

MR WOOD (Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, and Minister for Arts and Heritage) (3.44): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the following papers:

Legislation Act, pursuant to section 64-

Housing Assistance Act:

Disallowable Instrument DI2003-320 being the Public Rental Housing Assistance Program Amendment 2003 (No 2), together with its explanatory statement.

Disallowable Instrument DI2003-321 being the Rental Bonds Housing Assistance Program Amendment 2003 (No 1).

I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the papers.

Mr Speaker, on 18 November in this Assembly, I foreshadowed a number of reforms to the rental bonds housing assistance program and the public rental housing assistance program. Members will recall that I tabled the rental bonds program as a new program on 19 August 2003. This new program reintroduced bond assistance in the ACT, filling a gap left by the withdrawal of the previous rental bond scheme by the former Liberal government.

Members will also recall that, on 23 September, Ms Tucker tabled a notice of motion to amend the program. Among other things, Ms Tucker was keen to broaden the focus of the new program to include:

people on significantly higher incomes than those applicable to public housing;

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