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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (25 November) . . Page.. 4567 ..
MRS BURKE (continuing):
most disadvantaged in our community are given every opportunity to not only be responsible for their own actions but to be given a step up, not necessarily a handout. Life is not always about thrusting money into a person's palm.
I am pleased to say that I have a particular case at the moment on which the minister and I are working very closely, which is great, to achieve a positive outcome. This looks to me like being a benchmark for what could happen in the future, and I am sure the minister also sees it that way.
All members of a community should be able to access housing that meets their needs and underpins the sustainability of their future. So often, Mr Speaker, I think we forget that we are in this place to represent people outside of this place. Often we are driven by bureaucracy, the need for accountability and process and, in so doing, we forget the very people that we are trying to assist and help.
I think Ms Dundas made some comments in regard to private sector/government alliances. She spoke about businesses needing to make a profit. The report recommends that we look at other models outside of the ACT. The UK-and I know that I have said this before-which has obviously been doing this for a lot longer than we have, has many thousands of not-for-profit organisations providing a service. I have looked at this sort of community housing model. I congratulate the minister on re-looking at CHC and how it is set up. I think that could be a positive move and I will wait to see the outcome.
I know that Ms Tucker made comment in her media release in May this year that there were no costings or timelines or a strategic overall plan in the government's response to the report. A minister's role is to drive and lead strategy in an area that is so dear and close to many people's hearts. If you have not got a roof over your head, life becomes very challenging.
The report contains 46 recommendations and it is very rewarding to see that the government has taken on board and is chipping away at some of them. Of course, we cannot always give one single answer as to why housing affordability has become out of the reach of many people. David Dawes, in an article in the Canberra City News of 14 August, stated:
The factors that need to be looked at are those which impact on the cost of building a house, not least factors such as workers compensation premiums, building indemnity insurance, the impact of Government taxes and charges and the skill shortages which are tending to feed into higher labour costs.
He goes on to say-and this is really important:
... land shortages have placed a real premium on housing in the ACT and irrespective of what it actually costs to build a home, the market has pushed prices for existing homes higher.
Mr Speaker, I may have not fully understood the process that was followed in respect of the sale of land on which Burnie Court was located but I was greatly concerned that in effect the price of that land was pushed up because the price offered did not meet the government's reserve. Surely there is something that we can do about that sort of situation. Mr Dawes goes on to say:
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