Page 2180 - Week 07 - Thursday, 7 August 2014
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The areas of grassland and the areas of woodlands are important for a range of species, and we are seeing an imbalance where the overgrazing by kangaroos is having an impact on other threatened and endangered species in those ecosystems. That creates the necessity for undertaking these things. So it is about protecting all of the species in the ecosystem and ensuring that ecological balance is there.
Housing—community
MS LAWDER: My question is to the Minister for Housing. Minister, on 22 June this year the government announced that they would begin work on a strategic plan for community housing in Canberra. Minister, after being in government for 13 years, why has it taken this long to begin working on a strategic plan for community housing?
MR BARR: I will forgive Ms Lawder because she has not been in this place for a long time, but it is the next phase of development of the community housing sector in the territory.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, why did it take a report from ACT Shelter on community housing to prompt the government to announce they would develop this strategic plan?
MR BARR: It did not.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Minister, what will be the benefits of the strategic plan?
Mrs Jones: Housing.
MR BARR: Indeed. The benefits will be bringing new players into the housing market, into the community housing sector, in addition to the players who have been developing over recent times. The ACT government, through a revolving line of credit, provided support for Community Housing Canberra to continue its rate of growth. Argyle have come into the market in a significant way and are partnering with government on a number of projects. We have also seen the rationalisation of the sector to reflect growing trends across the nation in terms of needing a sufficient scale to be able to provide the significant increase in supply that is necessary.
Within the community housing sector there are two distinct elements: a particular focus on tenancy management and providing a different approach to what you might expect in the public housing sphere or alternatively from a private housing tenancy management arrangement; and also what you could describe as the not-for-profit development model that Community Housing Canberra, for example, has been pursuing quite effectively, where the proceeds and profits from one development are ploughed into the next project, with a goal to continue to add to the supply of housing in the territory. Ultimately, that is what we are working towards—an increase in supply in public housing, community housing and in the private market.
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