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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4143 ..

MS REILLY (continuing):

Labor recognises the importance of having a whole-of-government approach to social planning and to social programs in the ACT, to ensure that we work towards having a fair and just society. Having such a society does not happen by accident. It takes a concerted effort. It takes commitment to the principles of social justice. This cannot happen in the haphazard way in which social programs are being implemented in the ACT today. There is no coordination of programs in the ACT.

There is no coordination in matters such as women's policy. We do not have a women's policy in the ACT. Nobody is looking at the problems associated with this. For example, look at exit points from refuges for women and women with children escaping domestic violence. Nobody seems to consider it their responsibility to have these things arranged. ACT Housing throw up their hands and say, "We do not have sufficient houses to take these women from the refuges". The supported accommodation policy and program unit has moved around from place to place within departments and agencies in the last three years. It is now back in the community care area. This means that it has no connection with ACT Housing, even though the supported accommodation program is about the provision of housing. We do not connect it up with ACT Housing. Women spend an unacceptably long time in refuges because they are unable to get into more permanent accommodation, unable to settle their lives and recover from the problems associated with domestic violence.

Last Friday the Chief Minister, who is doing nothing to resolve these sorts of problems within the ACT, was attacking John Howard. It would be better if the Chief Minister were looking at getting an integrated approach to resolving this issue, rather than just getting on TV and talking about how John Howard is not giving her enough money. Maybe if we were using the money more effectively the problem would be less. Women's housing is just one issue that shows a lack of coordination and a lack of social planning within the ACT.

It is really hard to see on what basis funds and support are allocated to any of the community or social programs. As I said during the response to the budget, there is no social plan. There is no planning. Money appears to be allocated on whim or on the basis of the last person the Chief Minister spoke to or who is in favour at the moment. The Chief Minister said that they had plans. In her response on 24 June she said:

We have three-year plans, we have 10-year plans, we have five-year plans, we have every bloody plan you can think of.

But there is no mention of a social plan for the ACT. It shows in the number of changes that have happened over who gets funding and the changes in the arrangements for programs. There is no plan. There is no understanding of the need to coordinate a number of factors to ensure that you get effective social planning. We see some quick responses sometimes when, in sheer desperation, the money is allocated before it disappears because you have to spend it or the Commonwealth will take it back.

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