9 January 2009

Public Housing tenants happier! More included! Hooray!

| johnboy
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John Hargreaves is cracking open the bubbly after the latest Housing ACT Client Satisfaction Survey showed a happy bunch of campers in public housing.

    “”I am delighted with the results of the 2008 Client Satisfaction Survey which show overall satisfaction with Housing ACT has increased from 68% to 71%. Indeed satisfaction has been steadily improving since 2004 when it was at 58%.

    “These results are a testament to the Government’s commitment and approach to ensuring we have a fair and responsive public housing system…

    Mr Hargreaves said there was a significant increase in indicators of satisfaction across all aspects of Housing ACT’s business.

    “I am particularly pleased that 73% of tenants felt that public housing helped them to be part of the community.”

Now if the survey included everyone on the waiting list, rather than those who have their feet already under the table, I reckon the results would be more interesting.

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Nambucco Deliria3:20 pm 10 Jan 09

Why would anyone in a position of authority do anything about it? They’ve got the scum all together where plod can keep an eye on them, which is surely in everyone’s interests, especially the Spivs earning $1200 a week and their tame account managers. I’m bloody sure the satisfaction rate amongst these people is closer to 100%, but only 70-odd per cent of the assorted dole bludgers, junkies and green politicians they surveyed were in any sort of state to respond.

Thanks for the try, Thumper!

Well, I-filed, if it’s that bad, what needs to be done about it?

Perhaps get Phu Tam, the ACT Auditor-General, to have a look at it? I think the Libs and Greens would push for something like that, provided they have some firm evidence of skulduggery (or at least enough smoke to decide that there really is a fire).

Bugger all is right. Try $35 a week for a three-beddie five minutes walk from the Dickson Shops, on Centrelink + black market income totalling $1200 a week – with a tame and complicit ACT Housing account manager. Happening right now.
There’s a long history of corruption in ACT Housing. Back in about 1990 there was an audit, and a large number of ACT Government employees who were occupying three-bedroom dwellings on their own suddenly downshifted. The only accommodation they wanted was brand-new apartments in places like North Lyneham. None were moved to more standard ACT Housing with the great unwashed . . . interestingly, none were actually removed from ACT Housing occupation, because of the ‘once you’re in’ basis. So although none had been eligible for the accommodation in the first place, they were allowed to stay in.

What about the rest of us who don’t live within a stones throw of the CBD (Kanangra Court, Allawah Court, Jerilderie Court, Bega Flats or even Owen FLats) and pay more taxes than most of the undeserving tennants who pay bugger all?

Are you happy that they are happy when you fund their lives?

VY you are correst – Fosky (?) was a good example….

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy10:51 pm 09 Jan 09

Public housing, by it’s very nature, is going to have a high propertion of losers living there. I’ve spent time as a child in public housing, so I speak from first hand experience.

You don’t want it to be tooooo good, or people never leave.

“Now if the survey included everyone on the waiting list, rather than those who have their feet already under the table, I reckon the results would be more interesting.”

[If only I knew how to do italics!]

As Jeessie duck points out, it’s also the neighbours’ views that should be considered. Hargreaves is only looking at part of the picture.

It’s not just kids in trouble who get ACT Housing accommodation! A few years ago the Canberra Times ran an article about two schoolkids at high school. They were I think 16 and 17. They were living in a guvvie flat, and their affluent parents, who still owned property in Canberra, had retired to the coast! The article was profiling something else about the kids – school achievements or something – and nothing to do with the scandal of ACT Housing providing flats to rich kids under 18.

Oh- and just so you know I don’t have it in for the housing tenants in my building, I had no idea that there were housing tenants in my building until this little bunt moved in.

What about including those of us that share apartment buildings with the tenants? I have the 16 year old neighbour from hell living downstairs. Last year we had to call the police 5 times to break up violent parties. They were called again last night (by the tenant herself) to get rid of a friend who was f-d out of her head and causing problems at midnight.

It is so frustrating that this girl has been given a golden ticket in terms of a nice, safe place to live and yet she has all this riff-raff stuffing it up for her.

I think 16 is far too young to be granted government housing but apparently it is what they do these days to get kids out of bad situations.. I think she’s too young to get herself together and so it’s doomed to fail.

58% satisfaction in 04 was probably just before they sold civic flats.

I bet many of them are happy too. After all, it’s not easy to find a landlord who will let you get away with trashing a place, being an obnoxious bunt to your neighbours and treating the place like you own it yourself!

barking toad said :

Why does the Minister For Lunch continually wander round with that sign taped to his bum?

“Kick Me”

I thought it said “Drink and drive, hic, U B next”?

if i were him, i would be careful with the bubbly. the figures for the waiting lists might just replace the sign taped to his bum…

barking toad4:46 pm 09 Jan 09

Why does the Minister For Lunch continually wander round with that sign taped to his bum?

“Kick Me”

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