Released 25/07/2017
State and territory housing and homelessness ministers have today made a unanimous call for greater federal funding certainty for housing and homelessness services.
Key among these is the need for a funding response to the growing demand for frontline services for people experiencing domestic and family violence.
As both Minister for Women and Minister for Housing I am very conscious of these pressures and welcome the particular urgency placed on the issue in the report of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence.
With the current National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness scheduled to expire on 30 June 2017, state and territory governments and local service providers need to know as soon as possible what funding will be available beyond that date.
I’m pleased that housing and homelessness ministers from across the country have jointly called on the Commonwealth to give clear advice on the future of homelessness funding by the end of this year.
In relation to the automatic rent deduction scheme proposed by NSW, the ACT Government does not support the proposed scheme for public and community housing tenants as it is likely to be incompatible with our Human Right Act.
While I am supportive of national cooperation on options to improve the way we support social housing tenants around rent payments, I don’t see the proposed scheme as being the right option for Canberra.
I also reiterated my previous comments on housing affordability – that we need both levels of government pulling in the same direction on what is a national issue.
I outlined the ACT Government’s submission to the Commonwealth Affordable Housing Working Group, in which we encourage them to engage further with options around key policy levers such as negative gearing and Capital Gains Tax discounts.
Ministers also discussed the anticipated demand on social housing which will emerge as the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme progresses.Quotes attributable to Yvette Berry MLA, Minister for Housing, Community Services and Social Inclusion.
- Statement ends -
Yvette Berry, MLA | Media Releases
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