Page 1774 - Week 05 - Thursday, 2 April 2009
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It is very disappointing that the Greens are in fact supporting the government’s attempt to try to fill their agenda, to try to fill the day, with a motion which really is not very substantive when you compare it to what was moved last week. It is in stark contrast to what you might imagine from all the advertising that the government did last September and October. The government did a heap of advertising about all the programs they were doing and all the work they were doing and all the work that still had to be done. But here we are, only about four or five months into this new term, and the government has no ideas, no agenda, no plan for the future, as can be seen in our sitting days.
Again, we heard the minister, Mr Hargreaves, say that housing is above politics, that we should not be talking about housing in this place perhaps. Is that what he is suggesting? Are we not allowed to question the minister’s ideas when it comes to housing? Are we not allowed to challenge the minister when it comes to housing? Are we not allowed to give alternative ideas when it comes to housing? I do not know what the minister means when he says that housing is above politics. Perhaps we should not be scrutinising Housing ACT. Perhaps we should not be saying that we should be raising the bar in the ACT. Perhaps we should not be putting political pressure on the minister to try to raise the bar.
Instead, the minister says, “No, housing is above politics”. In short, “Don’t question me; don’t give me any hard questions. I will just keep on running with this in retirement mode. I am very much in favour of working together but let us not get in the way of challenging each other, either.”
This motion has a glaring omission, not dissimilar to last week’s motion, and that is the community housing sector; that is, the non-government housing providers in the ACT. The federal government recognises it, the other territory recognises it, and the states recognise it. But this government is scared of it. The government is scared to admit that Housing ACT and CHC do a better job when it comes to housing in this town than Housing ACT. The Chief Minister and the minister for housing are very scared to admit it.
We have to make sure we get the right balance between government and non-government providers. This government, as can be seen in this motion and the one moved last Wednesday, is not realising that balance. It is important to remember that Dr Jon Hall, a senior researcher at the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, said that the net average total overheads per dwelling for ACT public housing is $3,356, compared to the national average for community housing which is $1,759 per dwelling. That is 50 per cent less than Housing ACT. If that $1,700 difference were thrown into maintenance, that would be a much better outcome for the people of Canberra in community housing.
Dr Hall also said that, when it comes to net average maintenance expenditure, ACT Public Housing spends $2,509. Havelock Housing spends $3,247; that is, 30 per cent more than what the ACT government spends. This government, and it seems the Greens as well, are scared to admit that community housing has a role to play in the ACT and has a role to play in this stimulus package, as recognised by the federal
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