Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the lead-up to the 2010 federal election I campaigned to allow the empty RAAF base houses in Darwin to be used for the community and to prevent their destruction or removal. I have continued to fight to ensure that these houses are not sitting their vacant, and to this end I prepared a private members' motion, which was presented earlier today, to hand over the 395 houses to Defence Housing Australia, making them available to Territorians.

I am in the House today to present a petition supporting my motion, which has been through the Petitions Committee and is in order, with 719 local signatures.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable The Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House the decision of the Federal Labor Government to decommission 395 houses on RAAF Base Darwin in the midst of the Territory's worst ever housing crisis. We therefore ask the House to support the desperate need for housing in the Territory and the interests of local businesses which rely on support from local residents by excising from Commonwealth ownership the residential housing area of RAAF Base Darwin and handing the houses over to Territorians for a range of housing options including public housing and houses for first home buyers as a matter of urgency.

from 719 citizens

Petition received.

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House the decision of the federal Labor government to decommission 395 houses on RAAF Base Darwin in the midst of the Territory's worst housing crisis. We therefore ask the House to support the desperate need for housing in the Territory and in the interests of the local businesses, which rely on support from local residents by excising from Commonwealth ownership the residential housing area of RAAF Base Darwin and handing the houses over to Territorians for a range of housing options, including public housing and houses for first-home buyers as a matter of urgency. Territorians are outraged. They see with the eye of common sense but fail to understand why this issue remains unresolved and these 125 houses continue to sit vacant. It is time to stop Labor's waste and mismanagement of taxpayer funded resources, make these houses available to Territorians and make them available now. I seek leave to table this petition.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member's time has expired. Leave is not required, as the Petitions Committee has, apparently, considered the petition and found it to be in order. The petition is received in accordance with standing orders.