Ms MARTIN - 1997-04-30
Dawn House, the Darwin women's refuge, is overcrowded and is turning away women and children in need because it is taking 8 weeks for this administration to provide them with priority housing. This is after the Housing Commission has approved their priority housing applications. Why is it taking 8 weeks to provide priority housing? Will the minister tell the women and children of the Territory who are victims of domestic violence why he is adding to their suffering through his incompetence?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Housing Commission provides an outstanding service to the people of the Northern Territory, and not only through the priority housing program. We provide a number of residences to various community groups and, in recent months, we have provided in the order of, I think, $350 000 to the Darwin Women's Housing Association to enable it to purchase further properties for its community housing program.
The member for Fannie Bay advises me that the waiting time for priority housing is 8 weeks. I do not have those statistics at my fingertips. I do not personally run the housing allocation section and I would have to check that. However, I am able to advise members of the House that the member for Fannie Bay is notoriously inaccurate in statements and assertions she makes to this House, and I would not be surprised if this were not just another wildly inaccurate assertion.
Mr Stirling: You do not know your job.
Mr PALMER: The member for Nhulunbuy claims that I do not know my job. As I said, I do not sit down personally with the housing allocation section and allocate houses. That is not part of my job. I will endeavour to obtain an answer for the member. One thing that the member for Nhulunbuy will never have the opportunity to enjoy is ministerial responsibility. Nor will the member for Fannie Bay, the member for Wanguri, the member for Arnhem, the member for Arafura, the member for Barkly, the member for MacDonnell or, indeed, the member for Stuart.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Housing Commission provides an outstanding service to the people of the Northern Territory, and not only through the priority housing program. We provide a number of residences to various community groups and, in recent months, we have provided in the order of, I think, $350 000 to the Darwin Women's Housing Association to enable it to purchase further properties for its community housing program.
The member for Fannie Bay advises me that the waiting time for priority housing is 8 weeks. I do not have those statistics at my fingertips. I do not personally run the housing allocation section and I would have to check that. However, I am able to advise members of the House that the member for Fannie Bay is notoriously inaccurate in statements and assertions she makes to this House, and I would not be surprised if this were not just another wildly inaccurate assertion.
Mr Stirling: You do not know your job.
Mr PALMER: The member for Nhulunbuy claims that I do not know my job. As I said, I do not sit down personally with the housing allocation section and allocate houses. That is not part of my job. I will endeavour to obtain an answer for the member. One thing that the member for Nhulunbuy will never have the opportunity to enjoy is ministerial responsibility. Nor will the member for Fannie Bay, the member for Wanguri, the member for Arnhem, the member for Arafura, the member for Barkly, the member for MacDonnell or, indeed, the member for Stuart.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016