Page 2658 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 2013
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(c) that the Common Ground project is an important part of the Parliamentary Agreement for the Eighth Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory; and
(d) the ACT Government will continue to explore support for innovative models that have proven successful in reducing disadvantage to vulnerable Canberrans.
I rise today to speak to the motion in my name on the Common Ground project, an exciting joint initiative between the ACT and federal governments. This is a particularly pertinent motion in national Homeless Persons Week, which we are acknowledging in the Assembly this week. Addressing homelessness has been a long-term commitment of the ACT government to assist the vulnerable in our community. It is underpinned by a social inclusion agenda that has the aim of maximising each individual’s participation in the economic and social life of the community.
The ACT government sees safe, secure and affordable housing as a cornerstone of this commitment, and it is the foundation upon which other support and assistance rests to enable people to live their lives to the fullest. It opens up opportunities for education, training and employment, and improved wellbeing. The ACT government has committed $7.6 million in the 2013-14 budget and $130,000 in the 2012-13 budget to the Common Ground project. As you can see, Madam Deputy Speaker, it has been in the ACT budget program for quite a while. This demonstrates the government’s strong commitment to this innovative approach in providing real solutions to people experiencing homelessness. Common Ground has also received support from the commonwealth government with a $4 million contribution under the national partnership agreement homelessness development fund.
Establishing a Common Ground project in Canberra fits within the social housing continuum. It adds to housing initiatives that have been established through programs under the national partnership agreement on homelessness such as our place and a place to call home. The Common Ground model will coordinate the delivery of affordable and long-term stable accommodation with on-site and off-site supports. There will be a fifty-fifty mix of homeless and low income tenants who will live in 40 one and two-bedroom units. The target tenants for Common Ground will be some of the most vulnerable people who have experienced homelessness in the ACT—singles and couples without children and those over 18 years of age.
There will be commercial and community spaces on the ground floor that will be used to provide on-site support and assistance to tenants. Areas for social inclusion activities and casual interaction will also be included. There is also potential for a social enterprise to be included in the building. This would provide enormous potential for the tenants to build up an enterprise which provides job opportunities, training and also a connection with the broader community.
The ACT government will provide a site in or near the Gungahlin town centre for Common Ground. It will be close to commercial activity and employment, community facilities—including a public library and health centre—and public transport. Consultation with the Gungahlin community, initially through the
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