Page 2702 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 August 2015
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It is important to note that we will have a focus on the provision of public housing in our new suburbs. Whilst there is a very strong concentration in older parts of the city, the program of salt and peppering has not been as extensive as it should have been in new areas of the city. Through this program, we are looking to provide opportunity for new public housing to be constructed in some of the newer areas of the city; that includes Gungahlin and the Molonglo valley.
We are focused on ensuring access to public transport, access to community services and access to local schools and local shops. In undertaking the program, we are aiming to reduce the number of large public housing developments and spread public housing more evenly across the city. This approach gives tenants an opportunity to be supportive in their local communities, gives children the chance to attend local schools, and gives all tenants the ability to access services that meet their needs.
An example of this program will be, particularly, in the suburbs of Moncrieff and Coombs, to bring the public housing percentage in those suburbs in line with the Canberra average for public housing. In relation to Ms Lawder’s comments about Chisholm, adding a small number of additional public housing properties in Chisholm will not bring Chisholm up to the level of public housing percentages currently found in the inner north and the inner south.
The government has a responsibility to our tenants to ensure that we locate new public housing in appropriate locations. There are many criteria to consider when determining where new public housing can be located. This is done strategically, with consideration of existing public housing as well as access to transport and services. It is done following extensive work with tenants to identify their individual needs and to ensure that new housing works best for them.
The government remains committed to this renewal program. We will continue to improve outcomes for public housing tenants and ensure that our city remains a welcoming and inclusive community. I commend my amendment to the Assembly.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (11.39): I would like to speak to the amendment. There are some parts of Mr Barr’s amendment that I am completely amenable to. I find it a little disappointing that the amendment talks about ensuring pretty much only that public housing is cost-effective to build and maintain for the government and to live in for tenants. It is an admirable aim, and I do support it, but there is a lot more to it than just making sure that public housing is cost-effective to live in. As I said, I do support that, but we want to make sure that people are living in areas where they have the support and the services that they need—access, whether it is transport or otherwise.
I know that many public housing tenants want to live in Tuggeranong. I myself know quite a number of public housing tenants already in Tuggeranong. I understand why they would want to live there, because I live in Tuggeranong myself; it is a beautiful place to live. I know many people who are on the waiting list who want a house in Tuggeranong. Unfortunately, they have been on the waiting list for a long time for a house in Tuggeranong because the government has this management-initiated transfer
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