Housing Trust Properties

Ms SANDERSON (Adelaide) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Social Housing. Will the minister guarantee there will be no loss of rates income to councils with the privatisation of Housing Trust properties?

Mr Whetstone: Pull your pants up!

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (14:29): Can I thank the honourable member for that question.

The SPEAKER: I heard that, member for Chaffey, and you're called to order.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I will try and answer this question. The arrangements that presently exist in relation to the transfer of Housing Trust properties across to NGOs—and there's presently, I think, a number of those which are in the process of being finalised—provide for the provision to the local government agency concerned with a payment, in effect, of council rates for those people. So, in respect of those transfers that are going on presently, there is a guaranteed payment of council rates, so it makes no difference whatsoever to local government.

Mr Marshall: Directly to council?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: It's a condition of the transfer that they be paid. How they are paid I don't know, but they're paid. Now—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Look, you can have a supplementary in a minute, all right? The other point I should make is that the member for Adelaide, who was, as often is the case, in a briefing just a little while ago and walks in here and asks questions about the briefing, should be aware that the situation is that there is already an arrangement whereby there is a rebate system for those existing owners of community housing who are outside of the public sector—they already have an existing rebate.

So, in respect of those properties that are already in that space, to change the rebate arrangements would in fact be a windfall for local government, because they'd be picking up rebates in respect of properties for which they presently receive no income at all and have never expected to receive income. In relation to those properties that are being transferred under the current arrangements, or soon to be finalised arrangements—and I think the number is in the approximately 1,000 or 1,100 or so properties—those properties have as part and parcel of their conditions that the payments would be made as per usual to the relevant local government authorities, so the impact on them is zero.