Mr MILLS - 2000-06-14
At a recent meeting in my electorate attended by over 60 residents, the minister was made very aware of the concerns of these residents about the unacceptable levels of antisocial behaviour shown by some public housing tenants, particularly in Moulden. Can she advise what efforts the government has made to address this problem?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I know how active the member for Blain has been in trying to assist residents who have this problem. Many of the tenants out there seem to demonstrate this antisocial behaviour and have no idea whatsoever how to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours.
Last night in adjournment we heard of his frustration with NAALAS, who are at the moment defending the indefensible and taxpayers’ money is being wasted. Territory Housing had to go to the Supreme Court to get rid of tenants and still NAALAS tell us they are going to challenge us again.
Obviously we need to look at our procedures and policies and tighten up. It is unacceptable what is happening out there. Some tenants just do not understand ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mrs BRAHAM: Are you going to listen, motor mouth? You might be pleased by what I am going to say.
We have over 6000 tenants in public housing in the Territory, so I guess it is not completely unwise to accept that there are a few tenants who really do cause us problems. In Palmerston at the moment we do have a number and we have been addressing the problem, but we are not getting there fast enough. We are getting bogged down in procedures. We are going to tighten up.
From now on, any new tenant who wishes to move into public housing will have to provide references to prove that they have been suitable tenants in the past. If they cannot do that, they will go on a three-month lease. At the moment we have a six-month lease, but six months is far too long for people to put up with disruption and antisocial behaviour in their neighbourhood. Three months, and if you misbehave you are out. We will not extend it. If we find after three months they have successfully completed their tenancy, we will extend it by six months.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am finding it absolutely impossible to hear what the minister has to say. I expect listeners are having the same difficulty. I would appreciate reasonable silence.
Mrs BRAHAM: You are right, Mr Speaker - a number of residents out there in the suburbs want to know what we are doing about these antisocial tenants. They would be pleased to hear that we are going to introduce this measure.
If you do not complete a satisfactory tenancy in those three months, you are out. If you do, we will give you six months more, then two years, five years. It is a long-drawn-out process. If we had good tenants all the time we would not have to go through this.
A number of residents say they come to us with complaints but then we get bogged down. We are going to make it easy for them. We are going to give them an information sheet to show exactly what sort of evidence we need to back up their complaints. We will seek evidence from them. If they can’t provide enough ...
Ms Martin: People complain and complain.
Mrs BRAHAM: ... we will be talking to - are you listening or chatting?
We will go and seek evidence from other residents within that neighbourhood to make sure that what is happening is necessary to back our case.
We cannot believe that NAALAS has done this to residents in Palmerston. They must understand that they are actually causing the neighbourhood to have a bad feeling about these people that NAALAS are defending. They must realise that they are creating such a bad reputation for their Aboriginal clients that people out there are beginning to say: ‘Yes, it is becoming a racist issue.’
What we want to do is stop this before it happens. So if people out there have raised a complaint with us we will get out there, substantiate the evidence, make sure the complaints come from a series of neighbours. We will give them the guidelines to make sure that what they give us will stack up in court.
This is a good initiative. I am saying to the tenants out there, and the new ones in particular: ‘Be a good tenant or you are out’. We are tired of this antisocial behaviour that causes disruption to many people in the neighbourhood. We are saying to residents out there that we fully sympathise with what they are putting up with. We will assist them as best we can by making sure we get rid of these antisocial tenants.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mrs BRAHAM: I am sure you would love it. Regardless of what the Leader of the Opposition is saying, people out there understand that this is a positive move on our part to make sure tenancies are successful. That is what we want, to make sure that people who live in public housing have the best quality of life that we can provide.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I know how active the member for Blain has been in trying to assist residents who have this problem. Many of the tenants out there seem to demonstrate this antisocial behaviour and have no idea whatsoever how to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours.
Last night in adjournment we heard of his frustration with NAALAS, who are at the moment defending the indefensible and taxpayers’ money is being wasted. Territory Housing had to go to the Supreme Court to get rid of tenants and still NAALAS tell us they are going to challenge us again.
Obviously we need to look at our procedures and policies and tighten up. It is unacceptable what is happening out there. Some tenants just do not understand ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mrs BRAHAM: Are you going to listen, motor mouth? You might be pleased by what I am going to say.
We have over 6000 tenants in public housing in the Territory, so I guess it is not completely unwise to accept that there are a few tenants who really do cause us problems. In Palmerston at the moment we do have a number and we have been addressing the problem, but we are not getting there fast enough. We are getting bogged down in procedures. We are going to tighten up.
From now on, any new tenant who wishes to move into public housing will have to provide references to prove that they have been suitable tenants in the past. If they cannot do that, they will go on a three-month lease. At the moment we have a six-month lease, but six months is far too long for people to put up with disruption and antisocial behaviour in their neighbourhood. Three months, and if you misbehave you are out. We will not extend it. If we find after three months they have successfully completed their tenancy, we will extend it by six months.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am finding it absolutely impossible to hear what the minister has to say. I expect listeners are having the same difficulty. I would appreciate reasonable silence.
Mrs BRAHAM: You are right, Mr Speaker - a number of residents out there in the suburbs want to know what we are doing about these antisocial tenants. They would be pleased to hear that we are going to introduce this measure.
If you do not complete a satisfactory tenancy in those three months, you are out. If you do, we will give you six months more, then two years, five years. It is a long-drawn-out process. If we had good tenants all the time we would not have to go through this.
A number of residents say they come to us with complaints but then we get bogged down. We are going to make it easy for them. We are going to give them an information sheet to show exactly what sort of evidence we need to back up their complaints. We will seek evidence from them. If they can’t provide enough ...
Ms Martin: People complain and complain.
Mrs BRAHAM: ... we will be talking to - are you listening or chatting?
We will go and seek evidence from other residents within that neighbourhood to make sure that what is happening is necessary to back our case.
We cannot believe that NAALAS has done this to residents in Palmerston. They must understand that they are actually causing the neighbourhood to have a bad feeling about these people that NAALAS are defending. They must realise that they are creating such a bad reputation for their Aboriginal clients that people out there are beginning to say: ‘Yes, it is becoming a racist issue.’
What we want to do is stop this before it happens. So if people out there have raised a complaint with us we will get out there, substantiate the evidence, make sure the complaints come from a series of neighbours. We will give them the guidelines to make sure that what they give us will stack up in court.
This is a good initiative. I am saying to the tenants out there, and the new ones in particular: ‘Be a good tenant or you are out’. We are tired of this antisocial behaviour that causes disruption to many people in the neighbourhood. We are saying to residents out there that we fully sympathise with what they are putting up with. We will assist them as best we can by making sure we get rid of these antisocial tenants.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mrs BRAHAM: I am sure you would love it. Regardless of what the Leader of the Opposition is saying, people out there understand that this is a positive move on our part to make sure tenancies are successful. That is what we want, to make sure that people who live in public housing have the best quality of life that we can provide.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016