Page 2088 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 June 2015
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Road, in the inner north and in the city, where possible, as well as maintaining the salt and pepper approach to public housing in existing suburbs and expanding this approach to public housing in new and developing areas.
I am pleased to see that the Greens’ commitment to a roof-for-roof replacement has been incorporated into the asset recycling initiative along with a guarantee that public housing stock does not fall below 30 June 2014 levels. This means all tenants will be rehoused and that the new public housing stock will be of much better quality. Importantly, this also means there can be consideration for modest growth to respond to increasing need for social housing support in our community.
We will soon see new homes built across Canberra that reflect the changing demographic of tenants and those seeking accommodation. The challenge for the government will be to work closely with communities to avoid similar scenes to those recently seen in Nicholls. This also creates an opportunity to provide more environmentally sustainable properties designed to provide a much more comfortable and less energy-intensive home for tenants, which the Greens have been calling for over many years.
When it comes to health, I am pleased that over many years of raising the issue of preventative health as well as mental health and the importance of dental health, this budget is delivering for the people of Canberra. We know if we invest in people and support them in actively looking after their health through healthy lifestyles and diets, we can save substantial funds from chronic and acute healthcare needs in the future.
The budget papers show a solid balance of preventative, chronic and acute spending that responds well to the disappointing reduction in commonwealth investment. The Greens believe prevention is always better than the cure, so it is positive to see significant continued funding for mental health, including early intervention funding. We also strongly support the valuable role the community sector plays in this space, and I look forward to hearing more about the enhanced community services expenditure as the budget is passed and the programs begin.
It is also positive to see the government recognise the importance of caring for people in the community and at home, with increased money for end of life care at home and the care in the right place initiatives.
The Greens also welcome the new and ongoing funding for healthy weight initiatives, but we will continue to advocate for this to go further in line with the Heart Foundation’s recent report relating to advertising of junk food and unhealthy life options to children in particular.
I am also pleased to see the increase in drug services funding, with up to seven ACT drug rehabilitation organisations expected to benefit from the latest funding announcement. Its focus on ice use is particularly welcome, although I am sure I am not alone in hoping to see this funding continue for more than one year.
A total of $115,000 has also been allocated for the Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy, or CAHMA, to roll out a naloxone overdose
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