Page 3506 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 15 November 2006
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community housing, if done properly, should save you money; it should be a slightly cheaper option perhaps than a normal house, if it is done properly. You have scope there.
It is certainly a very effective form of housing in terms of people feeling ownership of their properties. It is a very effective form of transitional housing, too, for people. There are significant partnerships that the government can afford with various other groups to provide community housing. The government needs to explore that more perhaps than it is doing at present.
Dr Foskey has raised a very good point to debate here today. It is an important sector; it is a sector that can deliver very good social outcomes in this area. It is a sector where the government still, despite its budgetary constraints, has got the flexibility and options to ensure that it grows. Whilst I am heartened by what the minister says today—and it is time that he said that—there is still a very good and strong reason why Dr Foskey’s motion should be preferred over his amendment. Accordingly, the opposition will be supporting Dr Foskey’s motion.
MS MacDONALD (Brindabella) (11.51): In rising to speak to Dr Foskey’s motion, I note her interest in this issue and her support for the affordable housing steering group, which, as is noted in the motion, is due to report to the government in March 2007.
As my colleague the Minister for Housing has stated, the government will be amending this motion, primarily because the government rejects the criticisms implicit in Dr Foskey’s motion concerning its support of community-managed housing and because the government is seeking to address issues of housing affordability in our community in a number of ways and has done so consistently since being elected. It is not an easy problem to solve.
Mr Speaker, this government is working hard to address the need and disadvantage within our community whilst at the same time providing a framework for sustainable economic growth. The government recognises that housing is critically important to our overall economic and social wellbeing. It provides the basic foundation on which we build stable, healthy and productive lives linked to employment, education, health and other services.
Earlier this year, the Chief Minister announced the establishment of a high-level, across-government steering group to advise the government on initiatives to increase the supply of affordable housing in the ACT. The Chief Minister’s Department is chairing the group, with contributions from agencies across government and input from relevant industry and community groups.
The terms of reference for the affordable housing steering group are, firstly, to make recommendations to government on initiatives to increase the supply of affordable housing in the ACT; secondly, to identify and assess the factors that promote housing affordability that can be influenced by the ACT government; and, thirdly, in undertaking the above, to examine the effectiveness of initiatives to address housing affordability currently being undertaken in other jurisdictions, and their appropriateness in the ACT context, and liaise with relevant organisations and agencies in other jurisdictions examining housing affordability, including but not
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