Page 3731 - Week 10 - Thursday, 14 September 2017
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is met. Indeed, we have already built one older persons housing facility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and have committed to build a second one.
I am not sure where Mr Milligan is going with this question. The government has made a commitment and we will deliver on it.
MR MILLIGAN: Minister, will you at any point in the future be guaranteeing that your government will develop a specific Indigenous housing policy?
MS BERRY: As Mr Milligan and other members in this place will know, there is a conversation happening right now with the Canberra community around housing and housing affordability leading up to a summit on 17 October. We have already had thousands of conversations and a number of forums—around 35 forums—with all parts of our community, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Once we get to the summit and we build on a strategy for the ACT for the next decade around housing and housing affordability, I am sure that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, the elected body and others will be part of a conversation that talks about housing that is appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
MR PARTON: Minister, will the lack of genuine action in this space mean that members of the Indigenous community will continue to see a failure to provide adequate appropriate social housing for the Indigenous community, as this might also be considered aspirational?
MS BERRY: I do not agree with the premise of the question that there is not a genuine aspiration for the ACT government to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the ACT. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are housed in Housing ACT accommodation. We have aged residential accommodation for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Kambah, which I am advised has been very successful. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community are very happy with how that has progressed and are keen to talk about a second one, which the Labor Party and the Greens supported leading up to the election last year. And we will deliver on that as well.
Government—borrowing program
MR STEEL: My question is to the Chief Minister. Why does the ACT government maintain an active local and international borrowing program?
MR BARR: I thank Mr Steel for the question. The government continues to believe in investing in a better Canberra. We want to ensure that Canberrans have access to better care when they need it, that there are better schools for our kids and that we deliver better services for the entire ACT community. That is why we are delivering on our election commitments by commencing new walk-in centres, starting work on expanding Canberra Hospital and new north side health facilities, upgrading school
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