Page 3505 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 15 November 2006
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I cannot recall—and maybe times have changed—that it was particularly more expensive or otherwise than normal public housing. If anything, because of the greater ownership tenants felt, it seemed to be an area where you had the potential, if it was done properly, to have some savings. I know Mr Hargreaves has got some significant budgetary problems in his portfolio; effectively, about $10 million has been taken out. I know that is a challenge. I also know there are a number of options you can take there. There is a booming housing market here. It is common practice in housing for some properties to be sold off so that you can reinvest in other properties.
Mr Hargreaves: We already do that.
MR STEFANIAK: It is good to see you doing that, Johnny. Now is a good time for that, as opposed to, say, 1996 when the then government had to find $10 million that came from housing for the beastly black hole. That was our contribution. That was when properties were sold at a fraction of what you would get for them now. Times are better in terms of that option. Whilst the government faces a significant dilemma in terms of cuts to its housing budget, there is potential, when you look at it broadly, for it still to have a fair amount of latitude and a fair number of options available to work within its budget. Community housing is a very viable option.
I am surprised the impetus seems to have gone out of community housing. I am pleased to hear the minister quote 33 extra properties in the last 12 months. That is a positive sign. As Mrs Burke interjected and as Dr Foskey indicated, the sector is very nervous and is very concerned. Like a lot of sectors when they have or think they have a sword of Damocles hanging over them, they do not want to do the same thing for fear of retribution and fear that whatever they say might be misconstrued and matters will get worse for them. That is very much the case with this sector.
I am somewhat heartened by what the minister says about the fears over the last couple of years that the sector, because of the significant changes, might cease and we might see the demise of it. I note that the minister last year said no, that the government remains committed. I note that there was also $1.06 million available from the commonwealth-state housing agreement for community housing use. I am pleased that today he indicates that the government is still committed to it.
However, there seem to have been a number of task forces and reports on affordable housing and on this particular area. There is a plethora of action set out in the findings of the housing task force in 2002. To the credit of this government, many of those findings were taken on board and moves have been made to see them implemented where the government feels it fiscally appropriate. Given the severe budgetary constraints the government is under, it seems difficult to achieve further growth in the housing sector within the scope of its social planning.
Community housing forms only a modest percentage of the overall numbers of properties in social housing. Maybe the minister is having trouble convincing the Treasurer to inject further funds, and I totally understand that. It is also quite possible that the minister is having to find efficiency savings. I have talked about that. You might see community housing as a component of that sector that would suffer the most there. The opposition would counsel you against that because, as I said earlier,
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