Page 1297 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 11 April 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
our new housing strategy, which will build on the government’s achievements of the past decade.
I am looking forward to releasing the new housing strategy later this year. However, members will know that work has already been done towards building this strategy. Expressions of interest for funding under the $1 million innovation fund are now open. Successful projects will expand affordable rental options in the ACT, including home sharing, co-housing developments and growing the affordable rental market.
New public, community and affordable targets as part of the land release program will ensure continued growth for the community and public housing sectors in greenfield and infill land release, ensuring that land is set aside for the growth in our new and growing suburbs.
While the government strives for better outcomes through these initiatives, it is important to note that the ACT is well placed compared to other jurisdictions. Canberra has the highest rate of public housing per head in the country. During a time when other jurisdictions are transferring or selling government-owned public housing, the vast majority of public housing remains in public hands in Canberra. Mr Parton pointed out the numbers that Ms Le Couteur had quoted around public housing numbers in the ACT. Of course, it was the Liberal Party in the ACT that sold off over 1,000 public housing units when they were last in government. That is something to keep in mind should they be in government again.
ACT public housing is the most highly targeted in Australia, with 98 per cent of new tenancies being allocated to people in the greatest need, compared to 75 per cent nationally. The number of people on the ACT housing register tracks well below the national figure as a percentage of stock: 21 per cent in the ACT compared to the national average of 48 per cent.
I am proud of the work that is being done to help people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. In 2015-16, the government partnered with the homelessness sector to intervene early before a person’s situation reached a crisis point. Evidence shows that once a person’s situation becomes acute, particularly when they lose their house, it takes more time, more money and more resources to get them back on their feet. The effect of this targeted and sustained effort by Canberra’s homelessness sector means that the ACT saw a decline in people classified as homeless on census night by about eight per cent, 142 people. This was during a time when the ACT population rose by 11 per cent and when homelessness grew nationally by more than 13 per cent.
Canberra’s central intake model has a lot to do with this success. OneLink is the central intake service for a range of human services, including homelessness, disability services and family support. OneLink prioritises each person’s needs and connects them to the right service. Every time I talk to people in the community about homelessness, I talk about OneLink. I want to encourage every member in this place to remember the number and save it onto their phone: 1800 176 469. If you know anyone who is sleeping rough, in danger of losing their housing or needing some form
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video