Page 2355 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 31 July 2018
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The budget papers clearly show that Housing ACT is running at a deficit. Despite the good work it is able to do, given the constraints—with very low income from rents, very significant costs associated with running an ageing property portfolio, and an increased shift to housing only those most in need—Housing ACT clearly does not have the resources required in its portfolio to meet demand.
I would like to speak briefly on recommendation 6, that the ACT government establish an integrity commission. It is great to see that this is no longer a controversial thing. The Greens are very proud that we were the first party to call for an ACT integrity commission, and we are very hopeful that soon this will become a reality. The select committee has been re-formed and it will now be able to examine and take the best part of both bills before it. I hope this is going to mean that we have a strong commission that will give the people of the ACT greater confidence in local politics and public administration. It would be great if the federal government did the same, but that is, unfortunately, outside our control.
There were a number of recommendations about the ACT Electoral Commission which basically went to the point that there are issues of electoral finances and we need to look at them more.
As a member for Murrumbidgee, I just have one Murrumbidgee comment, on the old CIT site. We recommended that this should not be used for residential; it should be used for community facilities or employment generating facilities. I would like to float again the idea that it is ideally located adjacent to the Canberra Hospital. The Canberra Hospital is running out of space. The old CIT site in Woden could be an ideal place for the Canberra Hospital to extend over the road. I can see a covered walkway or something like that between the two. That could be the easiest way to solve some of TCH’s problems.
There is much more I could talk about, but I have run out of time. I would like to thank all the secretariat and all my colleagues for this report.
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (10.25): I also welcome the tabling of the estimates report and I want to acknowledge the collegiate way in which the committee worked, ably supported by Nicola and the many other committee secretaries. I especially acknowledge Mr Wall for chairing really quite ably during what I know was a tricky time for him personally, not least because he had a newborn. I also appreciate the many opportunities he gave me to chair.
Notwithstanding the collegiate way we operated as a committee, I do not think that Ms Orr or I would endorse a number of Mr Wall’s statements this morning. I would ask the opposition to reflect on what things like commercial-in-confidence actually mean when they start going on yet again about Icon Water.
Madam Speaker, we covered a wide range of topics during this inquiry. I want to record my thanks to all officials and to ministers for their preparedness to appear and for what they offered to the inquiry. A lot of it was, I think we could say, quite illuminating. One issue was revealed that I think is particularly important, and I want
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