Page 4992 - Week 15 - Thursday, 15 December 2005
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(1) What financial modelling work has been completed to ascertain the efficiency and effectiveness of the public housing sector;
(2) What outcomes were achieved from this exercise that would deliver improvements in Housing ACT’s capacity to provide a more viable and sustainable social housing sector in the ACT.
Mr Hargreaves: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Further work was undertaken during 2004-05 analysing various costs in the ACT compared to other jurisdictions using data available from their Annual Reports and the Report on Government Service Provision. The aim of this analysis was to identify costs in the ACT that were higher than those in the other jurisdictions and which indicated areas for further investigation and action to reduce ACT costs towards benchmark. This work built on the 2004 study undertaken by Jon Hall and Mike Berry for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) titled Operating Deficits and Public Housing: Policy Options for Reversing the Trend, which indicated at a broad level those areas of expenditure across all jurisdictions that were driving the increase in operating deficits for the ten years to 2000-01.
(2) This work indicated several areas where the ACT has higher costs than other jurisdictions and areas to focus on to deliver improved performance. For example the analysis indicated that the cost of repairs and maintenance for the ACT is higher than all jurisdictions other than the Northern Territory. In order to begin addressing this issue the new Total Facilities Management contract has a number of mechanisms to improve the value for money options. These include incentives to increase planned maintenance and reduce responsive repairs, which are more costly, better work flow management and reporting systems to improve customer service and a performance management system linked to rewards for achieving agreed criteria in improving service delivery and reducing costs.
Housing—community sector
(Question No 760)
Mrs Burke asked the Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, upon notice, on 15 November 2005:
(1) What reports have been undertaken by Housing ACT on activities to improve the capacity of the community housing sector;
(2) What action will be implemented from any reporting activities that will strengthen the capacity of this sector.
Mr Hargreaves: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Housing ACT has undertaken a range of activities to improve the capacity of the community housing sector, including providing additional funding of $150,000 to the Coalition of Community Housing Organisations of the ACT (CCHOACT) in 2005/06 for sector development.
In terms of specific reports, Housing ACT undertook a review of funding for community housing in the ACT in 2004/05.
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