Page 191 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 December 2016
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I have opened a number of new housing developments now, and the quality of these homes is outstanding. They are unrecognisable as public housing—modern, efficient, adaptable and welcoming, both for tenants and for neighbours who have welcomed new people into their communities really well. I remind the Assembly what an important stimulus program this is providing for our local building industry. The $550 million investment is boosting the construction sector by creating more than 2,500 jobs over the five-year life of the program.
Madam Speaker, progressive and inclusive government takes many forms, and this motion points to just a few examples of the record that this government is proud of. I am pleased to support the motion, and I restate my own commitment to these principles in this new Assembly.
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee) (5.23), in reply: I thank Minister Rattenbury, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Chief Minister and Ms Le Couteur for their support for the motion.
In response to some of Ms Le Couteur’s comments, I remember the target of 10 per cent public housing here in the ACT. We here have the greatest level of public housing in Australia, but there is more work to do to increase the level of housing. I remember that as a result of the nation building and jobs plan many years ago, one of the great projects the ACT government was able to deliver in public housing was for older people in Kambah. It was a result of the fantastic consultation that went on at the time. That can be emulated in the future.
It is a great shame that we have not heard from many members of the opposition on this motion today. It would have been an opportunity for each of them to say where they stand. This motion covers many areas of reform that are really important for people in this city. These were issues raised with us as candidates during the election campaign. The subject matter deserves to be addressed. You would at least expect that these issues would be given the dignity of a response. Even if the opposition do not support certain elements, they could have explained which elements they are not supportive of and maybe even have tried to amend the motion to remove the areas they did not agree with. There is no need to be scared of a suite of policies. In many of these areas there is a genuine opportunity to work together, particularly to send a message to the federal government that we want them to get on with it, as Mr Parton himself said yesterday.
Way back when, Mr Hanson supported marriage equality in his maiden speech, but often it seems the noes have it. Imagine what a powerful message it would send to the federal parliament if this whole Assembly said, “Get on with it and enact marriage equality.”
We have a great example of members working together in South Australia to put forward a vote in a private member’s bill on voluntary euthanasia. It was a Liberal member who moved that bill. It was narrowly defeated, but it has been a catalyst for change. Why can’t we at least call on the commonwealth parliament to allow us to have that debate? I know that our federal colleagues on the Labor side are supportive
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