Page 3502 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 15 November 2006
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continue to expand the sector through innovative housing projects. These funds were used to build new properties and therefore provide a wide range of housing choices for tenants in the community housing sector. These included a 10-bedroom house for Abbeyfield Disability to accommodate clients with disabilities; four units suitable for housing aged people, for the Tamil Senior Citizens Association; five properties for Centacare as part of the LINC disability housing project; two properties with Havelock Housing Association and the AIDS Action Council to assist those living with HIV/AIDS; and properties with Havelock Housing Association and Anglicare Canberra and Goulburn for people transitioning from homelessness. In total, an extra 28 properties were injected into the community housing sector through this additional funding.
Mr Speaker, as you are aware, the government provided a $33.2 million boost for public and community housing in December 2004. The government allocated commonwealth-state housing agreement funds held in the home loan portfolio towards the expansion of community housing in the territory. As a result, 21 properties were acquired for head-leasing to community housing providers, at a cost of $7 million; and $3.2 million was allocated to the provision of an indigenous boarding house network. Three properties were acquired for this project in 2005-06, with plans to add four more in 2006-07. A further $3 million capital injection was provided for the community housing sector, topping up the development projects I mentioned earlier, bringing the capital injection allocation for community housing up to $9 million over three years.
Let us put all of this together: $9 million capital injection into the sector; $7 million capital for head-lease properties; and $3.2 million for an ATSI boarding house network. That is $19.2 million in capital in head-lease properties over three years injected into the community housing sector.
The government’s support for community housing is also evident in the provision of additional properties through the community organisation rental housing assistance program, CORHAP. Approximately 10 properties will be available each year through this program for growth in the community housing sector—not recession, growth! In view of the funding and growth in the sector that I have described, it can be clearly seen that the ACT government is not moving away from support for community housing. Separately, there are moves afoot to address the separate issue of affordable housing through the affordable housing task force.
The government copped a lot of stick for the number of reviews it has conducted. However, those reviews were necessary to lay some vital groundwork so that we can move forward. Neither I nor any other member of the government wants to conduct another summit or embark upon a further two years of detailed economic analysis and modelling. Now is the time to focus on a few strategic and key deliverables. I believe that is what is happening in the community housing sector. Various individuals may not be entirely happy with the new direction, but I am advised that, by and large, that direction is accepted and the sector is cooperating with the department to produce a more sustainable approach.
The government remains committed to a viable community housing sector and, accordingly, has implemented revised funding arrangements following the 2006-07
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