Mr AH KIT - 1998-04-29
The Territory's top-up subsidy, to allow low-income earners to rent in the private market, will end on Friday. Will the people who desperately need this top-up be left on the streets?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the simple answer is that the people that the member for Arnhem is speaking about are not on the streets. They are in private accommodation that, for many years, this government ...
Mr Ah Kit: The ones who are on the list, Tim.
Mr BALDWIN: For many years, the government has subsidised them to enable them to rent on the private market while waiting for public housing, through the Housing Commission's waiting lists. It has now become a Commonwealth responsibility to supply rental assistance and we have turned our rental assistance into a bond assistance scheme that is unmatched anywhere in Australia.
The answer to the question is no, they will not be on the streets. There will be flexibility while we are building new accommodation. The media people who attended my policy launch the other day heard this question asked. The answer I gave there was that there will be flexibility to enable people to continue while they are waiting for new accommodation under the Housing 2003 program.
While I am on my feet, I congratulate the member for Arnhem on endorsing the Housing 2003 program on radio the other day. I think he was quoted as saying: 'It's really good to see that this minister is taking the initiative, and he's been able to get support through Cabinet, so we've got a whole new bunch of initiatives happening in regard to housing. That can only augur well for the future'. Housing 2003 is the biggest urban housing program seen in the Northern Territory since self-government, and it involves all sorts of initiatives. I have offered the member for Arnhem a full briefing and I hope he will take that up. However, the simple answer to his question is that nobody will be on the streets.
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ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the simple answer is that the people that the member for Arnhem is speaking about are not on the streets. They are in private accommodation that, for many years, this government ...
Mr Ah Kit: The ones who are on the list, Tim.
Mr BALDWIN: For many years, the government has subsidised them to enable them to rent on the private market while waiting for public housing, through the Housing Commission's waiting lists. It has now become a Commonwealth responsibility to supply rental assistance and we have turned our rental assistance into a bond assistance scheme that is unmatched anywhere in Australia.
The answer to the question is no, they will not be on the streets. There will be flexibility while we are building new accommodation. The media people who attended my policy launch the other day heard this question asked. The answer I gave there was that there will be flexibility to enable people to continue while they are waiting for new accommodation under the Housing 2003 program.
While I am on my feet, I congratulate the member for Arnhem on endorsing the Housing 2003 program on radio the other day. I think he was quoted as saying: 'It's really good to see that this minister is taking the initiative, and he's been able to get support through Cabinet, so we've got a whole new bunch of initiatives happening in regard to housing. That can only augur well for the future'. Housing 2003 is the biggest urban housing program seen in the Northern Territory since self-government, and it involves all sorts of initiatives. I have offered the member for Arnhem a full briefing and I hope he will take that up. However, the simple answer to his question is that nobody will be on the streets.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016