Page 1309 - Week 04 - Thursday, 8 May 2014
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a condition audit is now underway through the government’s maintenance contractor, Spotless. That condition audit is looking at a range of things for housing, including, for example, how well insulated they are and whether steps need to be taken in terms of their energy ratings.
So there are a range of factors. As Ms Lawder has identified, there are gaps in knowledge, and that is why this audit is now being undertaken, to improve Housing ACT’s knowledge and improve asset management.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, given that the condition audit is gathering information on the condition, safety, functionality, appearance and useful life of the property, does Housing ACT hold any of this information currently?
MR RATTENBURY: As I said, Housing is seeking to improve the level of knowledge it has about properties. There are obviously particular records of properties in terms of the number of bedrooms, the age of the property and the like, but Housing is seeking to improve that knowledge. In the meantime, tenants who do have maintenance issues or particular needs are of course welcome to contact Housing ACT through their housing manager, and many of them do. In fact, members across the chamber at times contact me on behalf of their constituents to seek for particular matters to be dealt with.
Housing is constantly working to ensure that tenants have a suitable property, whether it is through having an occupational therapist come and assess a property or whether it is having Spotless come and assess a property. There is the long-term asset management strategy that Housing is putting in place and also it is seeking to address the immediate needs of specific tenants.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, why would a condition audit take five years when theoretically every Housing ACT property is inspected at least once annually?
MR RATTENBURY: If I understand the question properly, I think Mrs Jones is asking about two different things. An annual inspection is undertaken by housing managers. They go and visit the property and look over it and also interact with the tenant, which is part of Housing ACT’s support of tenants. That is quite different from having a technical expert go out and assess, for example, the energy efficiency of a home and a range of other maintenance matters that someone with particular skills would assess, as opposed to the housing manager, who is playing the role of a tenancy manager and giving a level of community support.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, what is the cost of this condition audit?
MR RATTENBURY: I will need to take that on notice.
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