Page 951 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 25 February 2009
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Mr Coe talks about the sale to tenants system, which has been well known by tenants of the housing system for decades and decades and which is regularly featured in the newsletter. But Mr Coe does not recognise that 86 per cent of our tenants are on rebates. He is happy to quote 0.2 per cent and things like that, of the 11½ thousand tenancies, but he does not recognise that something like 40 per cent of these tenancies are in multi-unit complexes so the units are not for sale anyway. We cannot sell those; it is just not possible. And Mr Coe does not recognise that significant numbers of people in our public housing stock are on incomes where they just will not be able to. There are significant numbers of them on under $30,000 a year.
He also does not recognise that we are trying to, over time, provide a series of options for people to transition to homeownership. That is the word that those opposite have not picked. This particular land rent scheme was not portrayed as a panacea for all evils. It was supposed to be one of a number of options which may suit certain categories of people trying to transition to homeownership. Some other people will be looking forward to the shared equity scheme when it gets the nod from our financial institutions. Some people will go through the sale to tenants system. Some people will be taking advantage of the initiatives which came out of the affordable housing strategy with regard to the release of blocks englobo at west Belconnen, where, through the initiative of the Chief Minister’s affordable housing task force, we were able to have the developer provide units at less than $300,000 a head. What we are seeing here is a range of options.
Mr Seselja: They put some land on the market. They actually put some land on the market, and they want some credit.
MR HARGREAVES: Do be quiet, would you. Would you just be quiet and stop continuing to make a fool of yourself.
Members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: If you are hell bent—Pauline, you can be quiet too, thanks.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, address the chair, please.
Mr Coe: We’re really embarrassed.
MR HARGREAVES: Same to you, young fella. When you’ve got your long pants on, come back. The issue about the land rent scheme which people have forgotten is that it is an option being put forward to enable certain people to get into homes. If they do not want to pick it up, they do not pick it up. The object of the exercise is people who do not have the disposable income to be able to afford $400,000, so in fact—
Mr Smyth: And if you do, you still cannot get the loan.
MR HARGREAVES: You are a bore, you know, sometimes.
Mr Smyth: No, and you are just wrong.
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