5 May 2006

Auditor-General slams ACT public housing

| johnboy
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The ABC is confirming what we allready suspected about the state of public housing in the ACT as they report on findings of the Auditor-General.

The auditor-general says high priority applicants are often waiting more than a year before being offered public housing and those with a lower priority may never receive an offer at all.

The report says there is a mismatch between the housing sought by applicants and the properties available.

… It says the Government’s policy of offering indefinite security of tenure may be inconsistent with its obligation under the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement to provide assistance “for the duration of need”.

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Jane Hansard9:30 pm 07 May 06

“I’ve always thought that indefinite tenure regardless of income was a really stupid policy.”

That is the least of it – try on indefinite tenure regardless of ALL circumstances on for size! That’s the story. Here’s a true life case:

Parent and 22-year-old child occupying $500,000 house in the Inner North. Parent on disability, child on the dole. Only one party paying rent, so house is costing the pair of them $40 a week, between them. They’re ‘not getting on’. Even though it is aware that the ‘child’ is in the house and not bothering to pay rent, ACT Housing puts the ‘child’ on the priority housing list. The parent gets to keep the three-beddy (for life) PLUS the child is due to get a one or two-bedroom flat (for life) in the very near future. Parent is due to inherit own parents’ house within the next few years. Doesn’t plan to move into it and give up guvvie for needy people. Nuh uh. House is in NSW, so plans to keep it as coastal holiday house, because renting it out would increase official income and therefore guvvie rental in Canberra. Cash income of $200 a week on top of ‘disability’ allowance will pay for rates and upkeep on coast house. Wake up, Stanhope! This is not atypical.

I’ve always thought that indefinite tenure regardless of income was a really stupid policy. Much like governments running pseudo-commercial forestry businesses.

isn’t this site becoming a support group for us all…

I’m sure they could start their own support group.

Wouldn’t one who is a ‘conservative (yet) left-wing pinko’ have some ideological conflict with themselves?

I’m sure this is where we now hear diatribe from the conservative left-wing pinko heart bleeding brigage that by paying ‘market rent’, people are actually supporting the housing department.

The fact that the AG has found a mismatch between avaliable housing and people with a genuine need to be accomodated must be a bee in their pretty little bonnets, as it’s seemingly increasingly hard to justify how a person not in need can remain in a house that could be utilised by somebody who is.

– Although I’m sure they’ll try, I’m sure they’ll try…

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