House debates
Monday, 7 September 2009
Questions without Notice
Indigenous Housing
2:21 pm
Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. By way of introduction may I commend her on her response to the UN special representative, who plainly misunderstood the nature of the intervention. My question today is about the strategic housing program in the Northern Territory. How can the minister continue to claim that the strategic housing program, which is yet to build a single house, will still deliver 750 new houses when the cost of each house has increased by around 30 per cent, from $350,000 to $450,000?
Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I thank the member for Warringah for his question, and particularly for the opportunity that it gives me to inform the House about how many houses have been built in remote parts of the Northern Territory since the election. In fact, 102 houses have been built in remote Northern Territory communities since we were elected—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The question has been asked. The minister is responding.
Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Thank you, Mr Speaker. One hundred and two houses. I might just compare that with how many houses were built under the previous government under the same program. In 2004-05 there were 94 houses built. In 2005-06 under the previous government there were 51 houses built—
Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance. I asked not about the houses built under the former government’s program, I asked about the number of houses—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Warringah will resume his seat. The minister is responding to the question.
Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Of course, what Aboriginal people want to know is how many houses have been built since we came into government, and it is 102, compared to the number of houses that were built under the previous government, which was considerably less.
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, my point of order goes to relevance. The minister was asked about the Indigenous strategic housing program.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The minister will resume his seat. That is, the Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The minister is responding to the question.
Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I do appreciate the opportunity to go through this in some detail. Like everybody in this House, I am concerned to make sure that we deliver increased numbers of houses to Aboriginal people in remote parts of the Northern Territory.
Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
What we have recently done is conduct an important review of the SIHIP program—
Andrew LamingHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member for Bowman is warned!
Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
which has been put in place while those 102 houses have been built. What has been found as a result of that review is that, unlike the question from the shadow minister, we are able to deliver the housing numbers that we are committed to. We intend to deliver by 2013 750 new homes, 230 rebuilds and 2½ thousand refurbishments. Just compare that number of houses to what was built under the previous government. In 2005-06 under the previous government 51 houses were built. We have a major program underway and we intend to deliver on those targets. We have recognised that issues have arisen and challenges have arisen, which is why I have put in place this important review. The review has been conducted and made public, and the review has found that the program design that we have put in place is sound but that there has certainly been about a three-month delay in implementation, which of course I am very concerned about. Nevertheless, it makes it very clear that the program targets of 750 houses, 230 rebuilds and 2½ thousand refurbishments will be met.
I have been very concerned in particular about the findings of this review in relation to administrative costs. I know there has been a lot of public comment about this issue. We are now working to reduce those administrative costs from 11.4 per cent to eight per cent, and that will be done. I have also decided that the Commonwealth will take a much more hands-on approach. This is a very unusual step, which has never been done by the previous government, to make sure that we deliver on the targets that we have set. Work has now started on Groote Eylandt and it is about to start in Nguiu.
Most importantly, we have to recognise that the work is underway to refurbish houses and to rebuild houses that were previously not liveable. I am sure that the shadow minister has seen some of these houses, with kitchens that families could not cook in and bathrooms that children could not be bathed in. In Tennant Creek, for example, we have got many people working on these houses making sure that families will have a decent place to live in. We are putting Commonwealth officials into this program in an unusual step to make sure that it does deliver on the targets that we know are so important for Aboriginal people.