Question Time

HOUSING SA

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Housing a question regarding a social commitment.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: According to the Australian Human Rights Commission adequate housing is a fundamental human right. Jimmy Carter, the former president of the United States of America, expresses the view that 'decent housing is not just a wish, it is a human right'. 'We are morally obliged to act, and should do so more urgently and effectively', he said in relation to providing homes for low-income earners.

Article 25 of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (which lists basic rights to which every human being is entitled and should have) is the right to an adequate standard of living, including housing. In the meantime, the minister will this financial year sell at least 793 Housing SA properties.

The South Australian Council for Social Service said that Labor had sold as many as 12,000 publicly-owned homes since taking office. Cabinet authorised the sale of 450 properties. The minister admits that he may sell hundreds more to reduce state debt, saying that, because the homes are being sold at the bottom of the market and below book value, he has had to sell more properties to reach the financial target. I might add that only an inept Labor government that is going broke would sell properties at the bottom of the market. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many homes will actually be lost to public stock this year?

2. How many people are on the public housing waiting list?

3. Who is right: the Australian Human Rights Commission, the former president of the United States, the United Nations or the South Australian government?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:25): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. It must be said that the sale of housing assets is not a new government policy but is government policy that has been in place for some time. All governments of both persuasions have in the past taken decisions to reduce the Housing Trust debt, and the way they have normally done that is to make sales of Housing Trust properties.

The difference of course between former governments and this government is that we have actually prioritised the sale of those Housing Trust properties to existing tenants of the Housing Trust and to people on low and moderate incomes. I do not have the figures with me right now, but since we have come to government we have sold approximately 3,000 houses. Off the top of my head (I do not have the accurate numbers) in the last two years of the Liberal government they sold over 6,000. Where was their commitment to public housing? Where was their commitment to low-income tenants who want to get into the housing market by owning their own property?

This government is committed to providing social housing to a whole range of the South Australian public—social housing for people in the Housing Trust and social housing for people in the community housing sector. We also want to encourage people, through various instruments, including HomeStart and sales of public housing assets, to actually get into the housing market, get their feet on the bottom rung of the ladder and become home owners. That is what we try to do and what we will continue to do.