Page 5071 - Week 16 - Wednesday, 27 November 1991
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MR BERRY: I would want to have a look at that. I would not want to be hypothetical about what we might do in relation to the New South Wales legislation. I would want to have a look at it before I make any commitment.
Urban Services Budget
MR HUMPHRIES: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services. How much has been spent by the Department of Urban Services in the first five months of the 1991-92 financial year? How much does that represent of the total appropriated for the department for this year in the Appropriation Act?
MR CONNOLLY: I cannot give the precise amount today. My last advice was that we were on target, but I can no doubt provide more detailed information to Mr Humphries at a later date.
Housing Trust Computer System
MR DUBY: My question is also addressed to Mr Connolly in his capacity as Minister for Housing. I refer to the article in today's newspaper headlined "Trust computer tries to evict hundreds of residents". The gist of the article is that there was a computer error and quite a number of tenants wrongly received notices saying that they owed rent, and they were threatened with eviction. I remember the Minister's recent launch of that system, which I believe is responsible for that error. I ask the Minister to explain why the trust, firstly, installed and, more particularly, commenced operations on a computer system that cannot accommodate tenants paying their rent through the payroll deduction system, that is, automatically having the required rent deducted from their fortnightly pay and forwarded to the trust - a system that I believe some 15 to 20 per cent of Housing Trust tenants utilise.
MR CONNOLLY: We referred to this item late yesterday evening, in response to a statement Mrs Nolan made in the debate on the Appropriation Bill. All I can say in relation to the computer error is, mea culpa. It is an appalling mistake and should not have occurred. The trust have purchased a computer program that has been up and running in Victoria and represents the state of the art in Australia in terms of more efficient management of the trust stock. That same program, as adopted for local conditions, is being looked at by the Queensland housing trust and by some other State housing trusts.
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