Page 1627 - Week 06 - Thursday, 13 August 1992
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HOUSING ASSISTANCE ACT - DETERMINATION NO. 68 OF 1992
Motion for Disallowance
MR CORNWELL (10.48): I move:
That the determination of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, as contained in Determination No. 68 of 1992 and made under the Housing Assistance Act 1987, be disallowed.
Madam Speaker, the purpose of this motion for disallowance is to seek an improved means of dealing with the provision of the supported accommodation assistance program housing in the community in consultation with the local neighbourhood. At the moment the provision of such housing is surrounded by undue secrecy which, I believe, alienates the local community and can isolate the prospective tenants.
Mr Berry: You do not understand this.
MR CORNWELL: To support this I will give some examples, for the benefit of Mr Berry, among others. First of all, I would refer to Beirne Street, Monash, which is occupied by the Open Family Foundation.
Mr Berry: Madam Speaker, I rise to raise a point of order and to caution members opposite about the giving of addresses for residences that may be refuges of one sort or another, and to ensure that these addresses do not find their way onto the public record. If that happens, it could be of some discomfort and danger to people who occupy these sorts of residences from people from whom they are seeking protection. I would ask the member opposite to refrain from placing the addresses of these residences and refuges on the public record. I would hope that he would answer my call for caution in relation to this matter.
MR CORNWELL: Madam Speaker, in answer to Mr Berry's interjection, the one that I have just quoted is a well-known address.
MADAM SPEAKER: Excuse me, it was not an interjection; it was a point of order, and I do believe that we should heed Mr Berry's caution.
Mr Kaine: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Perhaps, Madam Speaker, you can inform the Assembly under what standing order advice from the Minister can be put forth in the middle of somebody's speech. That was not a point of order; it was an interjection.
Mr Connolly: The point of order is that any member is perfectly free to be irresponsible and dangerous. We would request that they do not. I thought we had an arrangement with Mr Cornwell that we would not identify addresses of refuges, and I would hope that we would continue with that; but if you people want to be idiots, be so.
MR CORNWELL: If everybody would sit down, Madam Speaker - - -
Mr Kaine: Both of you are jumping the gun and neither of you is taking a point of order.
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, order!
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