Page 755 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 1 May 2007
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taken advantage of that scheme to achieve what used to be known as the Australian dream, that is, to own your own home. Tenants on a sustainable income of $80,000 or more are well able to take advantage of this scheme.
We will also introduce a shared equity scheme that will allow tenants to purchase a share of their home in partnership with the government and to share any increase in the value of the property. However, if these high-income tenants do not wish to join these schemes, they will not be simply cut loose. Housing ACT will work closely with them to ensure that their needs are fully understood, acknowledging that for some tenants such a move might not, for a variety of reasons, be appropriate.
To show that a tenant has a sustainable income of more than $80,000 will take two years, that is, they must sustain that level of income for two years. Then, if they clearly have the capacity to purchase a property or rent in the private market, they will be given a further 12 months to explore these options. Housing ACT will also work with households which have incomes of less than $80,000 but more than $50,000 to encourage them to consider home ownership, including through the shared equity opportunities.
The other major reform I announced last month relates to public housing tenants who have more bedrooms than they require. Under the new arrangements, these tenants will be assisted into suitable alternative public housing. This will be a phased process over a number of years, with a focus on tenants with two or more bedrooms than required. This process, too, will include a careful consideration of tenants’ circumstances, including the length of time in the current home, their age, their family circumstances including part-time child custody arrangements, their ongoing housing and support needs, and the availability of acceptable alternative public housing accommodation.
The development of guidelines for the implementation of these changes will involve broad consultation with tenants and tenant organisations such as the Joint Champions Group, as well as with the wider housing sector. It is obvious that these changes will not be implemented quickly, particularly as our objective is to implement these changes in a manner that is transparent and, above all, fair.
Following the revision of the eligibility criteria for public housing, there has been a number of positive developments to assist our objective. Under the new system, priority applicants have been housed, on average, within 57 days, compared with an average waiting time of nine months under the previous system. In March this year, there were just 1,018 needy people waiting for public housing, compared with more than 3,000 in June 2005 and 2,500 in June 2006. Housing ACT expects to house 900 new tenants this financial year.
In conclusion, I should also mention a supporting and complementary initiative that this government has introduced. In April we announced an expansion of community housing in the territory to increase the supply of affordable rental properties and dwellings in the ACT. Community housing is a small but important element of the social housing mix, meeting important social needs and providing critical support to people experiencing housing stress.
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