Page 4399 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2019
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In regard to the Greens saying, as I think they have said to me, “This very thing was before the chamber last month, so we shouldn’t be debating it again,” I dare say that means we will never see another climate change motion before the chamber, because we have already debated it. This is important stuff. Climate change is important to this chamber and this change is also a very important change, so it does not mean that at all.
In closing, I will read out a number of the outcomes from the YWCA Rentwell scheme. The Chief Minister may be touching on some of these as well. The outcomes I have here are real outcomes. We are talking about individuals here.
Single mother with primary school age child. Escaped DV, from non-English speaking background.
She has been a beneficiary of this scheme.
Single older woman from non-English-speaking background in casual employment.
Older single woman in a one-bedroom flat part of the next door program.
Single mother with one school aged child and 18-month-old. Escaping domestic abuse. They had been staying with good friends, the 3 of them all shared a queen-sized bed.
And this is something that has come to me from the sector. They have said this scheme has actually rescued people from homelessness. Granted, the numbers are quite small at this stage, but when I brought this land tax rebate in its original form to the chamber I think I was saying that if 30 properties get taken to the market as affordable rentals through this scheme, to me that is an enormous win. We are probably a bit over halfway to that point. But for every single individual and every single family, this is enormous. I think it does strike at the heart of a lot of the stuff that Mr Rattenbury has brought to the chamber in regard to the homelessness problem. I commend the amendment.
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (4.58): I thank Minister Rattenbury for tabling his motion. Hopefully I will have a little bit of time to talk to Mr Parton’s as well. I have spoken about the chronic lack of social and affordable housing in Canberra on many occasions in this place. I spoke about the land tax exemption, which Mr Parton was speaking about, back in the Seventh Assembly, because it was part of our agreement with the government. I regret that it has taken so long to come about, but it has and I am very pleased about that. Mr Parton, you do not have to convince me that it is a useful thing to do.
Clearly, living with housing costs means reducing spending on other essentials. Housing is not a discretionary cost and it is not easy to reduce it. You enter into an agreement for a year. Moving takes a lot of money and time. Living in overcrowded, insecure or unsafe housing makes participating in school or work more difficult. Someone’s housing circumstances can just make life more difficult.
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