Page 3365 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
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a bunch of suggestions that came forward, and a bunch of people that put their hands up. I do not doubt that the decisions that have been made here are worthwhile, to distribute funding to some of our community housing providers, enabling them to examine and potentially to trial some wonderful new ideas from other jurisdictions.
I am pleased to see us moving in these directions. I do not believe we are moving fast enough when we consider the impact that this housing affordability crisis is having on so many individuals and families. This government should be doing much more than a token effort in this space.
I do applaud today’s announcement, but it is too little, too late. I do note that the minister, in question time today, also referred to—and please excuse me, because I am not fully across what is planned here—some moves to allow supportive housing to be built on some community facility zoned land in some special circumstances where that land was privately owned and it had been ascertained that this would be a better purpose.
I will wait to see further details on this. Again I look forward to some positive movement in this space. I do note, though, that the last time we were debating supportive housing on community facility zoned land, we had dozens of people marching on the Legislative Assembly and some fiery public meetings that were abandoned, with officials ushered out the back door. I am assuming that that will not be the case in this instance, so I look forward to seeing what is being considered in this space.
I will close by saying that I look forward to hearing more from the ACT housing and homelessness summit. From the perspective of those in the public, they are telling me that there are still no major outcomes, still no big ideas, and the community is sick of waiting.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (6.33): I am happy to speak on housing and the work the government is doing in housing and housing affordability in the ACT. The government is improving access to public housing and homelessness services and continues to lead the country in a number of areas. Public housing and a well-supported specialist homelessness service sector will always be at the heart of my priorities as minister.
The initiatives announced in this budget continue to demonstrate the government’s commitment to ensuring all Canberrans can participate fully in this community. Public housing in the ACT provides affordable rental housing for 10,621 households or around seven per cent of ACT households as at 30 June 2018. The ACT government maintains the highest proportion of public housing and community housing stock in Australia, with about 27 dwellings per 1,000 people, against a national average of 17.
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