Page 5563 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 November 2011
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When it comes down to it, it is because the ACT government are unwilling to make the tough decisions regarding the tenancy agreements and behavioural standards. They need to do a service to all the tenants that do the right thing—the 90-something per cent of tenants that do the right thing, look after the property, pay their rent and obey the law. Instead, they all get dragged down because this government is unwilling to make the tough decisions and say to those problem tenants, “Enough is enough.”
This is an area that the Canberra Liberals think is a very exciting policy space. It is an area that has so much opportunity. It is an area that affects 10,000, 11,000 or 12,000 tenancies, a huge portion of our budget and a huge asset base. We are very excited about the work that we are doing and the opportunities that we are going to be able to present. It is something that Canberra needs. It is something that many Canberrans talk about. But it is not reflected in the will of this government.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (3.26): I thank Dr Bourke for bringing this MPI to the Assembly today. Housing is an essential prerequisite to social equity, and public housing provides an important safety net for people who cannot compete in the ACT housing market. The renewal of social housing, and public housing specifically, is an important issue given the nature of stock in the ACT. Tenants should not be in a situation where the government-provided house they live in is of a quality that causes negative health or financial impacts.
About 75 per cent of people who appear before ACAT because they cannot afford their energy bills are public housing tenants. Part of the reason for this is understandably because some tenants have difficulties managing their finances, but it is worth noting that some tenants rent a government house that is either too hot or cold and therefore requires significant heating or cooling to regulate the temperature. If public housing stock, or any housing for that matter, has adequate insulation, air flow and window coverings, that has a significant impact on heating and cooling needs and associated bills.
The public housing asset management strategy guides the direction of the ACT housing stock. The last strategy was from 2003 to 2008. The following strategy is now three years overdue, but the Minister for Community Services has assured us that this will be provided publicly by the end of this year and she reiterated that in answer to a question I asked today. I do hope we see that strategy before the end of year is out.
The previous strategy had some interesting points which I would like to discuss. When the strategy was written in 2003, it stated that about 9.5 per cent of all ACT residential dwellings were public housing properties. The ACT currently has just over eight per cent. The housing that the government owned in 2003 had an average age of 27 years and was the oldest public housing stock in Australia. The age and structure of the portfolio presented considerable challenges for the rejuvenation of the stock. The public housing asset management strategy stated that it was the government’s key objective to sell the older stock whenever possible. It also said, however, that, as stock aged, difficulties in acquiring new stock would become more difficult because revenue raised from sales would need to be spent on maintenance and capital upgrades.
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