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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 2178 ..


MR MOORE (continuing):

have to wait. The times have reduced significantly over quite some period. Mr Osborne, I will take on notice your specific question and get back to you.

MR OSBORNE: I have a supplementary question. She was also told that the best advice they could give her was for her to turn up every day and hope that someone would not turn up for an appointment, but I will speak to you about the specifics. Are you able to tell me whether it is correct that the waiting time for houses in Tuggeranong is six years; if not, what is the waiting time? I know that there are different classes, but could you give me a rundown for that part of Canberra?

MR MOORE: There are different waiting times, depending on where the particular person wishes to live. If the person is flexible enough, in need of housing and wishes to have a three-bedroom in any part of the city, the waiting time is much shorter than it is for specific places. For a particular area that is desirable in the community's mind, it is longer.

I think it is worth remembering that there has been a significant cut to Commonwealth funding of housing, which has made it much more difficult to deliver housing in the same way. That is why this Assembly passed legislation to make sure that we reprioritise the way we do housing. That is why it is, as Mr Wood has identified through a number of questions on notice, that there has been a reduction in the number of houses. That is combined with the issue of the redevelopment going on and a change in the style of housing in an endeavour to make sure that it is entirely appropriate. Right across the country-probably right across the world-there are always waiting lists for public housing and there always will be. We prioritise for people who have special needs. We set people with special needs against criteria and look after them.

Mr Osborne: Tuggeranong?

MR MOORE: I will give you a list specifically showing the waiting times in each of those categories.

Housing Advisory Committee

MR WOOD: My question to Mr Moore is also related to housing. Minister, the government's response to the final report of the ACT Poverty Task Group states:

The Minister for Housing currently receives advice on strategic aspects of housing in the ACT, and in particular on housing assistance issues, housing industry issues and related consumer issues, from a specialist advisory committee. The Housing Advisory Committee consists of government, business and community representatives. The role and responsibilities of the Housing Advisory Committee have recently been reviewed and a work program for the Committee is currently being discussed. The Housing Advisory Committee will consider the issues raised by the Poverty Task Group.

Minister, my understanding is that the Housing Advisory Committee has not met since November last year-before you were minister, I might say-and in fact it currently seems not to exist. It seems to me that the government's response to the Poverty Task Group gives an erroneous picture. Can you tell me what is happening or what is planned?


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