Page 3508 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 15 November 2006
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This sentiment remains as valid today as when the plan was launched in 2004.
The plan articulates seven key goals, namely, to increase the supply of public and community housing in the territory; to ensure that the type, size and location of housing in the ACT meets the changing needs of the community; to improve access to quality, affordable and safe housing; to enhance the provision of specialist housing and support services; to improve the regulatory regimes to enable individual needs to be addressed; to strengthen the links between crisis accommodation services and long-term housing options; and to reduce homelessness. It also contains nine actions, all of which have progressed substantially since 2004.
The government recognises the very important, indeed critical, role of the community sector in both reducing homelessness and improving access to affordable housing and shelter for members of the community. I know that the Chief Minister met earlier this year with the president and the director of ACTCOSS and advised them that addressing the issue of affordable housing and, more particularly, developing key initiatives for implementation was a very high priority for the government.
The government welcomes the involvement of the community sector and industry stakeholders in the work of the affordable housing steering group. To this end, it has sought and received submissions from members of the public and the community and business sectors. I note that the Chief Minister’s Department is also proactively engaging key stakeholders and has received 19 submissions. Discussions are currently occurring with 15 groups, including ACT Shelter, ACTCOSS and the HIA.
In fulfilling its role, the steering group will, of course, embrace a definition of affordable housing that is relevant to the ACT and one that recognises that, even in a comparatively affluent community such as ours, shortages of affordable and accessible housing can have a severe impact. In delivering on its terms of reference, the government expects the steering group to look critically at relevant economic and supply models and, further, to closely examine initiatives and solutions already operating in other jurisdictions. The emphasis will be very much on identifying feasible options and initiatives, rather than constantly seeking to redefine and scope the project.
There are many successful initiatives operating elsewhere that may be equally beneficial if applied here and it is important that we learn from the experiences of others. There is already a wealth of information about the nature of the problem and the market. In the recent budget, the government announced some reforms to the Land Development Agency and ACTPLA to help reduce the costs of bringing land to the market and it will continue to pursue those strategies. The government has clearly stated that it will increase the supply of land in 2006-07, and the Minister for Planning has called for expressions of interest from industry in undertaking innovative affordable housing developments at Dunlop and Franklin. That will ensure that more affordable housing options are available for Canberrans looking to purchase a new home.
Mr Speaker, the government is intent on making a real difference on this issue and on identifying further workable solutions that can be implemented as soon as possible to
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