Page 3363 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
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In this context it is worth noting that community housing providers will soon be able to access competitive and long-term finance through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation. Despite the opportunities that the NHFIC will foster, Minister Berry’s response to a question on notice regarding this matter offers little encouragement that the ACT government is looking seriously to leverage these opportunities.
If the government is not interested in increasing funding to the sector or transferring public housing properties, there are still a number of ways that the community housing sector could be supported to grow. One could be to use the planning system to incentivise affordable housing outcomes. This has been done successfully in Adelaide, and in Sydney via a developer levy in the Sydney CBD which funds housing delivered by City West Housing.
Another option would be to use the government’s position as the dominant provider of land in the territory to incentivise and drive affordable housing outcomes. I note that the legislation for both the SLA and the CRA requires them to look at affordable housing and to specify how much affordable housing they will be releasing sites for in their area of influence. This is an area where the government should be doing more.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate, as I did last year, the importance of the parliamentary agreement between the Greens and Labor in driving many of the positive outcomes in this policy area. (Second speaking period taken.) I really look forward to the release of the housing strategy and working with my fellow MLAs across all parts of this Assembly to ensure that people in Canberra in housing need are able to access housing that suits their needs and that they can afford.
MR PARTON (Brindabella) (6.26): I find myself agreeing with so much of what Ms Le Couteur had to say in this space, which is a little frightening. I think she nailed a lot of what is going on in this portfolio. There are a lot of good things going on in this portfolio, but we are missing the mark on a few things, aren’t we?
Canberra is a wonderful city in which to live, if you are earning a good quid. And if you are not, it is very difficult. Time and again, as shadow housing minister, I come across people who cannot find a home of any description, are in the public housing system and have been horribly let down by the system, or find themselves unable to access public housing without an absurdly long wait, but because of the policies of this long-term Labor-Greens government they find it nigh on impossible to service their daily needs and the needs of their family while paying exorbitant private rent.
We have a housing affordability crisis here in the ACT, and at this stage this government seem unable to address it. They are doing some things in small degrees, but the crisis remains. I know we are all waiting for the findings from the housing and homelessness summit. There are a few, in dribs and drabs. Aren’t they a long time coming?
When you are out speaking to people on the street, when you are out speaking to residents who are literally under siege at Kanangra Court or those who simply cannot
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