Page 3500 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 15 November 2006
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action plans. This government is not about reorganising that sector; they have to do it themselves.
Furthermore, she says that there has been a slowdown in the community housing sector. I absolutely and totally reject that. She has two solutions. One is to have fewer providers in the system. Correct; she got that one right. The other one is to have more houses out there. Where is the notion of where we are going to pay for that? At $350,000 a hit, where is the Greens’ proposal to find three houses for $1 million? It is notably absent. It is angering to see that it is notably absent. When the opposition speak, if that is their particular solution, I want to know where their funding source is as well.
Dr Foskey’s motion states:
That the Assembly:
(1) recognises the growing importance of community housing in the provision of … social housing … housing across Australia;
There is an implicit notion that the government does not support the community housing sector. I completely reject that notion that we do not support the sector. I acknowledge the role of community housing in the ACT. Contrary to the Queensland position, which would like to abolish it and put it all into the public housing sector, I have been vocal, in a national forum, in rejecting that notion. Any suggestion that we do not support the sector is not only wrong; it is poor research and it is just politics.
Community housing is a vital alternative to public housing services. It provides supportive tenancy management to people on low incomes in a way that encourages tenant participation in the management of their housing services. This sector deals with some very difficult and extremely disadvantaged clients and does so by providing not just housing but a range of support services to enable the clients to better manage their lives. Where was the credit that Dr Foskey gave to the partnership between Hartley Lifecare, TAS Housing and the government in the provision of some accommodation in Kambah, launched just the other day? Notably absent.
The government cannot support Dr Foskey’s motion as it stands. We will support an amended version of the motion. I move the amendment circulated in my name, which has been circulated to the Greens and to Mrs Burke’s office, the opposition spokesperson. I do not know whether she has seen it but it was circulated some time ago. The amendment that is on the table has been circulated to offices already. We did not want to spring anything on anybody. I move:
Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
“(1) recognises the importance of community housing in the provision of both social housing and affordable housing across Australia; and
(2) notes:
(a) that the ACT Government’s Affordable Housing Taskforce is due to make a final report in March 2007; and
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