Page 2843 - Week 09 - Thursday, 13 August 2015
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Housing ACT aim to house top priority waiting list applicants within three months.
But we know from the list that the waiting time is actually six months—more than double what was outlined in the 2007 affordable housing action plan. I sometimes feel a little sorry for Minister Berry—only a little bit—because I think she is a little bit out of touch with community expectations. She thinks that by focusing on light rail and saying they are moving people out of the Northbourne Avenue precinct to improve public housing for people that she is going to feel love from the community. But people want genuine responses to housing affordability, to getting people off the waiting list and to homelessness.
This government talks about how they are leading the world in renewable energy, which is a positive thing. But why are we not leading the world in our response to homelessness and housing affordability? Why are we not concerned about those vulnerable Canberrans who are out on the streets every night? Do not forget, Madam Deputy Speaker, that the ACT has the second highest rate of homelessness in Australia, which is completely shameful. Just how out of touch is Minister Berry on this issue? She said previously in this place that because someone is receiving a service from a homelessness service, they do not need housing. They are still technically homeless. Just because they are receiving a service does not mean that they are not still homeless.
Yesterday we saw another example of just how out of touch Minister Berry is. She thought she might pop into a photo with members of the community from the Telopea Park School and Mocca. I can tell you that they very quickly asked her to get out of their photo. She has had no involvement with the work to get a good community result for the Telopea Park School and for Mocca. Mr Doszpot has been working on this issue since the start of this year.
Just yesterday Mr Doszpot spoke very strongly in support of that community. Through that, and some manoeuvring from Minister Rattenbury, we got a good result for that community. Mr Rattenbury and Ms Berry were asked to remove themselves from that photo. Members of the community know it was Mr Doszpot who did that work. It is unfortunate when you have someone who is quite out of touch with what the community want.
In a way I think Minister Berry thought the housing portfolio would be a good thing. She spoke in previous committees about the importance of public housing. That is admirable, and I agree with her—it is very important. (Second speaking period taken.) But I think she has found over the past few months that it is a poisoned chalice because she has realised the complexities and the difficulties in the public housing and homelessness sphere. It is not just a matter of coming in and saying that you support public housing. There is a lot more to it, and she has been struggling to get across the detail and complexities involved.
There are specific recommendations in the estimates report relating to housing, especially along the Northbourne Avenue corridor, some of which the government have agreed to and some of which they have noted. There are also some relating to
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