Ms FINOCCHIARO - 2013-08-29
The member for Solomon, Natasha Griggs, promised Territorians she would save the suburb of Eaton so the vacant military housing stock can be made available to ordinary Territory families. Does the Giles government support the member for Solomon’s commitment? How does this commitment differ from Labor’s plans for Eaton?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. She understands the pressures on housing in the Northern Territory.
The member for Solomon has been dogged on this issue. She campaigned hard on it during the 2010 election. She knocked on doors in Canberra to achieve a win for Territory families. She even went to the extent of drafting, moving and, finally, getting a private members’ bill passed by a large majority of the House of Representatives. It was a red letter day for Territory families. I quote from Tony Abbott:
Labor’s plans regarding Eaton are quite different. They would prefer to bulldoze these decent houses - one of which I lived in, in the 1980s, which was done up around that time - or, in one of the deals, hand some of the houses, if not all, to Territory Housing. When the numbers were crunched, it would cost quite a bit of money to move houses from a perfectly good area and relocate them onto a greenfield site. It would have been well above the cost of building new houses.
Labor does not understand the pressures on housing. They do not understand the policies they introduced and how that led to an increase in prices. We have some of the highest costs of living in the Northern Territory due directly to previous policies of the Labor government.
The Coalition is promising to excise Eaton and make some of that housing available for Territory Housing and some available to Defence Housing, because many people still like to live on bases around the country. A number of houses would be available for Defence Housing, a number available for Territory Housing, and a number could be sold off to ordinary Territorians at reasonable prices to ease the cost of living in Darwin.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. She understands the pressures on housing in the Northern Territory.
The member for Solomon has been dogged on this issue. She campaigned hard on it during the 2010 election. She knocked on doors in Canberra to achieve a win for Territory families. She even went to the extent of drafting, moving and, finally, getting a private members’ bill passed by a large majority of the House of Representatives. It was a red letter day for Territory families. I quote from Tony Abbott:
- Because of the member for Solomon the 396 Defence houses at Winnellie will be excised from the base and will be available as part of the ordinary housing stock of Darwin under a Tony Abbott led Coalition government.
Labor’s plans regarding Eaton are quite different. They would prefer to bulldoze these decent houses - one of which I lived in, in the 1980s, which was done up around that time - or, in one of the deals, hand some of the houses, if not all, to Territory Housing. When the numbers were crunched, it would cost quite a bit of money to move houses from a perfectly good area and relocate them onto a greenfield site. It would have been well above the cost of building new houses.
Labor does not understand the pressures on housing. They do not understand the policies they introduced and how that led to an increase in prices. We have some of the highest costs of living in the Northern Territory due directly to previous policies of the Labor government.
The Coalition is promising to excise Eaton and make some of that housing available for Territory Housing and some available to Defence Housing, because many people still like to live on bases around the country. A number of houses would be available for Defence Housing, a number available for Territory Housing, and a number could be sold off to ordinary Territorians at reasonable prices to ease the cost of living in Darwin.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016