Page 4323 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 25 October 2017
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MS CODY: How will the announcements you made at the summit contribute to addressing housing and homelessness challenges facing the ACT?
MS BERRY: As I said all the way leading up the summit, I wanted this to be a genuine conversation with the community and to engage many different voices who might not ordinarily have the chance of having a conversation about building a housing strategy for the ACT. It was never the government’s intention to make a big, shiny announcement without having that genuine conversation in the first place.
The $1 million innovation fund I announced on the day will seed some of the new affordable housing initiatives and support new partnerships among community housing, community housing services, real estate, design and within the constructions sectors. The government committed to improving and expanding the way it releases land for affordable and public and community housing.
For the remainder of 2017-18, 530 sites will be released for affordable home purchase and public and community housing, a combined increase of 240 sites on what the previous affordable housing policy would have yielded.
There is also the establishment of the affordable home purchase database. This will ensure that these blocks go where they are most needed and that the release of affordable land is fair and equitable. That is why future affordable housing home purchases will be made available only to households who pre-register on the new ACT government database.
Government—land acquisition arrangements
MS LAWDER: My question is to the Treasurer. Administrative Arrangements 2017 (No 1) and section 63 of the City Renewal Authority and Suburban Land Agency Act 2017 legislatively require you to make directions on acquisition thresholds for the City Renewal Authority and the Suburban Land Agency. Treasurer, why has there been a significant delay in issuing directions on acquisition thresholds for the two authorities since they were established on 1 July 2017?
MR BARR: There has not been.
MS LAWDER: Treasurer, what governance arrangements are in place for acquisitions, given that there are no thresholds issued?
MR BARR: There have not been any acquisitions.
MR COE: Treasurer, why has the issuing and implementing of acquisition threshold directions not been a priority, given the ongoing issues with your government’s land acquisitions and the Auditor-General’s inquiry?
MR BARR: I refer the member to my previous answers.
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