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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-02-26 Daily Xml
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HOUSING SA TENANCY AGREEMENTS

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Housing. Will the minister be acting to override the tenancy agreement terms for Housing SA tenants and, in particular, will the minister rule out any attempt to introduce a fixed tenancy obligation for tenants who currently enjoy continuing tenure? The government has announced its intention to charge Housing SA tenants for water consumption, even though individual meters to assess the consumption for that household have not been provided.

The current tenancy agreements provide, 'SAHT to pay all rates and taxes assessed and imposed upon the premises other than those agreed to be paid by the tenant or any other person'. The new tenancy agreements are now providing for fixed term tenancy with homes provided by Housing SA. Many tenants, however, have been enjoying their property over decades and enjoy a life tenure and, where their incomes have increased, are often paying commercial rents.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management) (15:10): I did not quite understand the question, but I will look at it more carefully and perhaps supplement this answer. The general point is that we are now charging people for their use of water, and I think that is a generally accepted principle. It has been accepted by the honourable member when she has made her public contributions about the matter, and for that we are grateful.

However, a particular issue has arisen in relation to tenants who have shared meters. Generally speaking, most of them have very similar sorts of properties, but there are a few unusual sites. For instance, some of the sites have very large houses attached to very small units, and a natural anxiety exists that people would be paying for someone else's very large water bill. That is something that we have taken on board, and we are working with those tenants and their representatives to find a proper way to deal with that situation.

There is a range of options. One is to go to some form of metering, although individual metering is very expensive and would eclipse the price of any yearly fee: $178 just for the supply charge is probably likely to be greater than any yearly fee that would be associated with the water use. So, we are considering whether some other form of metering may be appropriate or, indeed, some other measures could be taken. In all of that, we will of course comply with all our legal obligations in relation to providing notice and negotiating any changes to tenancy arrangements. However, as I said, I will reflect upon the member's question. I did not quite understand her question about fixed tenancies, and I will supplement that answer, if necessary.

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