Page 3365 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 19 August 2009
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The type of development suggested by this motion, as the brief overview of K2 and BedZED demonstrates, does have those benefits, including social interactions that come from collaborative activities, the gardens, the integrated support we would be able to deliver to such a consolidated site, the social mix of neighbours, the easy access to services and facilities and the extra discretionary spending that the lower energy and transport costs would give them.
I cannot accept the presumption that a multi-unit development is not now, and never will be, an appropriate housing model for such a site. I note media comments from the minister that the Currong site is inadequate for the kind of development we are suggesting. There are 96 units in the K2 apartments, and 99 homes at BedZED. There are over 200 units at Currong. The land size at Currong appears to be similar to K2 and BedZED. The issue is not one of size or scale.
Finally, I acknowledge that I have built the argument on the K2 apartments in particular but, as the people who have worked on that development have pointed out to me, there is a lot more possible now in terms of innovative design and construction than was evident when the K2 competition was commissioned. The language I have used in this motion allows for a more wide-ranging interpretation of land use on that site.
I understand that this government does not want to lock itself into a competition, although we are talking fairly broadly here. I do not believe anything that the Greens are trying to do here boxes the government in. All it really would achieve is to up the ante in terms of ambition and architecture for social housing in Canberra.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Disability and Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Corrections) (3.36): I welcome the opportunity to respond to Ms Bresnan’s proposal to run a design competition to turn the ageing Currong apartments into an environmentally sustainable social housing network.
I have to say that I have some concerns about this motion. I believe that it is simplistic, it is naive and it has not been thought through carefully. But I also say that, in the spirit of the Labor-Greens agreement, I have offered the Greens many briefings on issues relating to my portfolio responsibilities. I am a little disappointed that Ms Bresnan did not think it a good idea to have a chat with me about this, to discuss its merits and its flaws.
Ms Bresnan says that the proposed competition would seek housing designs for a mix of residents, demonstrating energy and water efficiencies, sustainable building practice and healthy inclusive design. The ACT government is already doing this. The government, through Housing ACT, is already pursuing an extremely active policy of improving the energy efficiency of public housing in the territory. We have already committed half a million dollars to water efficiency measures and are two years into a $20 million program of energy efficiency improvements that include building fabric improvements and high efficiency hot-water systems and heating appliances for new and existing dwellings. Those being constructed under the Rudd government’s stimulus package for social housing incorporate universal design features which aim
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