Page 2098 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 5 June 2019
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doing it the toughest. The people that were doing it tough in this city seven or eight years ago in many instances have had no choice but to leave; or they have had to sell up, downsize, and find other means to keep a roof over their family’s head. It points to what we were talking about with the homelessness problem. These are people who may have been able to scrape by in previous days but are being priced out of this city. Canberrans deserve certainty.
The budget that was handed down yesterday is in stark contrast to the economic settings that the Reserve Bank is trying to achieve nationally. The Reserve Bank cut interest rates yesterday just moments before the Chief Minister stood to deliver his budget speech. They are trying to put more money in Australians’ pockets. They want to see people spending money in the economy. They want business to be prosperous. They want Australians out spending their money to drive our economy, to drive growth and to drive the prosperity of this country. Here in the ACT we have a Treasurer and Chief Minister who believes that that money is better sitting in the coffers of consolidated revenue in Treasury’s bank account, where it is his discretion as to how it gets spent, as opposed to being in the pockets of the individuals that work hard and earn it.
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 Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (11.24): I rise to speak today to the amendment moved by the Chief Minister, which I agree with, of course, and particularly to the issue of housing and homelessness that was popped into the motion by the Leader of the Opposition. It gives me the chance to talk about the new housing strategy that the ACT government has implemented and is taking action on, making sure that we can fund all the commitments under the plan which include making sure that accessible, affordable and secure housing opportunities are a reality for more Canberrans.
The opposition might have missed some of the investments that the ACT government has made in affordable housing in this year’s budget. It gives me the chance now to outline the single biggest investment in growing public housing that we have ever seen. In this year’s budget a new $100 million investment in the growth and renewal of public housing is the beginning. This program will build 1,200 new homes across the territory, including 200 new homes that will be made available for people in need of housing. This is the largest per capita investment in public housing in the country. And let us not forget that the last time the Canberra Liberals were in government in the ACT they got rid of 1,000 public housing properties.
If this investment by the ACT government was replicated nationally there would be almost $6 billion invested into growing and renewing public housing. Imagine what that would mean and what could be achieved in addressing housing affordability and reducing homelessness across the country. For many Canberrans let down by the private housing market, growing our public housing is the best way to get them into secure and long-term affordable housing. This investment builds on the current renewal program, which will soon be finished, renewing 1,288 dwellings across the city with new, energy efficient homes that better suit the needs of our tenants.
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