Page 1760 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 4 May 2005
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affordable housing provision. His research also highlights significant advantages of a holistic strategic approach such as that taken in Ireland. There have been major policy and program initiatives announced this year in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, all of which would be worth close inspection and consideration. There have also been initiatives implemented since 2002 in various Australian and overseas jurisdictions which can be compared for effectiveness and applicability to the ACT context.
The other three terms of reference proposed to the affordable housing task force relate to overseeing the development of an implementation strategy and providing ongoing advice to government. I believe that it is important that responsibility for ongoing improvement in affordable housing is conceptualised as a responsibility shared across the community, private sector and government. A partnership approach in which stakeholders come together to find solutions is to be preferred. Members will know that I have been calling on the government to develop an implementation strategy for affordable housing in line with the commitment stated in the social plan. It is absolutely necessary to establish clear targets, time lines and performance indicators if we are to measure our progress on affordable housing over the next four to five years. The affordable housing task force has an important contribution to make to the implementation of strategies that were identified in the Strategies for action report. The government has, on the whole, agreed to the majority of these strategies, but many are yet to be acted on.
Recent budget submissions from organisations such as ACT Shelter and the ACT Coalition of Community Housing Organisations are packed full of ideas and recommendations for making progress on affordable housing. These organisations invest considerable time, energy and expertise in developing advice to government, but have limited opportunities to contribute to policy in a meaningful and ongoing way. Studies of attempts by other governments to provide housing should be considered. If there is not enough money, we need a body that can examine the mechanics of a number of the schemes, including government bonds, which give citizens the ability to invest in their community. A lot of these schemes have been considered by a number of consulting firms, such as Allen Consulting Group, which I know the government uses in other matters. The task force would enhance these opportunities and also bring together community groups and private sector interests in a spirit of collaboration.
I was hoping that on both sides of the Assembly this motion would be seen as a genuine attempt to provide a way forward in the affordable housing dilemma—crisis, as the government characterises it—and gain the bipartisan support it deserves. However, I believe that neither of the larger parties intends to support my motion. I am extremely disappointed about that and I find that the amendments put forward and circulated by the government do not go far enough. My motion is really asking the government to do those things it should already be doing as part of its role as government. So far, those things have not been done to the extent to get action. The reason we are putting forward this proposal for the affordable housing task force is to bring into the process some driving force. It would bring new information into it. It also will require the set-up of a parcel of goods that can then be looked at in the next budget. We have got to do something during the term of this government. We cannot just keep talking about it. I ask both the opposition and the government to reconsider their stance on my motion.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services and Minister for Police and Emergency
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