Page 1679 - Week 08 - Thursday, 28 September 1989
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programs. I announced this yesterday, Mr Collaery. The Burdekin report recommended head leasing schemes. I announced yesterday a new singles share accommodation scheme which will allow for that. The Burdekin report recommended that crisis accommodation guidelines be expanded. I announced dramatic funding increases for the crisis accommodation program yesterday. The Burdekin report again recommended housing authorities acquire and build housing stock for young people. We are doing that and recently purchased a seven-bedroom house for housing young people. And let me say to Mr Stefaniak, who just said that he was worried about 16- and 17-year-olds in need of community support and youth housing, that 20 of our 50 houses are to be sponsored by community organisations.
What we need is a guaranteed range of services. We have done that. We are at the moment talking to the Rotary and Lions clubs, who are interested in putting over $100,000 into this. We have promised to build new refuges and to improve existing ones. We have made a commitment to staff training and information, and to developing living skills packages for young people so they know how to survive on their own.
Let me tell Mr Collaery what the youth sector think about our government plan. They are excited. By the way, we have asked them. They are excited about the innovation in the ACT response to the Burdekin report. They see the announcements made yesterday as very constructive. They see the Government as being very serious about youth homelessness. And what did the Council of Social Services say about our housing policy? They welcomed the measures that I announced yesterday. They see them as providing help to people in difficulties in all housing sectors.
In fact, the community reaction clearly does not support Mr Collaery's view. The Government has consulted widely in developing its youth housing policy. Is Mr Collaery rejecting the views of those who know best? Let me also say what we are doing for the aged in housing. I mean, we have not just thought about youth. We are building 52 new aged persons units. The fact that we have been told we are not doing anything really annoys me. The Commonwealth Government has been very generous to us, but we have also looked at how we can do this.
As to the rental bond board, let me tell Mr Stefaniak that the Liberal Party in New South Wales wanted to do exactly this but it did not work. The only thing that Mr Greiner has left intact that the Labor Party in New South Wales put in was the rental bond board because he is making so much money out of it that he would not dare pull it apart. It was one of the things he realised was a very good revenue earner. Unfortunately, he is not putting it back into the housing, which he should be.
As for stamp duty, I am sick of hearing the Liberal Party telling me it was their policy. The Labor Party has been
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