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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-19 Daily Xml
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HOUSING SA

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:01): My question is to the Minster for Social Housing. Minister, could you outline how your Housing SA staff are allocated to front-line services and what their responsibilities are?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his question and I advise that I can, and I now will. Housing SA's annual report for the year ending 2010-11 reported that the agency employs 1,008 people with 958.7 full-time equivalents. A typical Housing SA regional office is mainly composed of front-line service delivery staff who deliver important services in the following areas: conducting housing needs assessments; conducting home visits; processing bond and rent assistance requests; investigating disruptive tenancy complaints; maintenance response issues; chasing up rent and debt payments; and organising requests and approvals for disability modifications and appropriate housing allocations.

Last week we heard, of course, the Leader of the Opposition in the other place announce that, if the Liberals win government at the next state election in 2014, they intend to cut the numbers in the Public Service from around 100,000 to between 65,000 and 75,000. Of course, we know that she has backtracked on that number but, tellingly, her deputy, Mitch Williams, has come out in support of these comments, saying that Mrs Redmond's comments were 'very consistent with the views of everybody in the party room'.

This is a case of a decision already being endorsed by the Liberal Party room, a decision that they hoped would remain secret until after the next election, a decision they hoped to blame on a Queensland-style audit commission, a decision the Leader of the Opposition revealed accidentally. Let us be clear: this is a decision that will significantly impact 25,000 to 35,000 workers and their families and in turn impinge on South Australia's much-needed front-line services. We only have to look to Liberal governments in Queensland or New South Wales or indeed Victoria to see what would happen in South Australia under a Liberal government.

Liberal governments in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria have cut over 30,000 public sector jobs and stripped billions of dollars out of vital front-line services. They have taken a big axe to health, education, police, communities, child safety and disability services. This is the stuff of Liberal governments in Australia—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: This is the stuff of Liberal governments in Australia, and this should be a big warning for the South Australian community.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The Hon. Terry Stephens is interjecting across the chamber. He interjected yesterday across the chamber when the Leader of the Government was saying that all that the Liberal opposition offers to the state is nothing but cuts, and the Hon. Terry Stephens said, 'Hear, hear!' That was his interjection yesterday. The Liberals have nothing to offer this state but cuts, and he says, 'Hear, hear!' This is a big warning to the people of South Australia.

Only last week we saw 14,000 Queensland public servants told that they would be sacked, despite the Liberal Party going to the recent election promising no forced redundancies and that a reduction in public service numbers would be achieved through natural attrition over several years. Does that sound familiar? The Liberals' proposed cuts in staffing of between 25,000 and 35,000 will have enormous effects on service provisions across a wide range of government services, in particular in the provision of public housing and rental assistance through Housing SA.

How would these cuts affect Housing SA's frontline services? The expected waiting times for important services would increase significantly. This would mean customers would face lengthy delays for bond and rental assistance, hindering their ability to access other private rental accommodation. Home visits, which currently are conducted once every 12 months, might need to be blown out to once every two years or even longer.

The Hon. G.E. Gago: One in four perhaps.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Exactly. The response times for maintenance would likely increase, and tenants could expect to wait longer for repairs, even for those related to health and safety. Delays in responding to disruptive tenancy complaints can be expected, meaning an extending of the time lines and warnings and potential eviction of severely disruptive tenants. Lack of staff in the field would lead to an increased number of properties falling into a state of disrepair and vacant properties taking longer to reallocate to new tenants.

Ultimately, under the proposed magnitude of cuts the Liberals are offering the state, the waiting list for public housing would get longer, including those on category 1. Housing SA public servants facilitate the provision of public housing and private rental assistance for the most vulnerable members of our community. Housing SA staff play an important role in supporting safe and active neighbourhoods within our vibrant city.

Of course, only a small portion of South Australian public servants work for Housing SA. The issue is much broader than the impact on just my own agencies. It is important to remember our public servants are not just faceless bureaucrats sitting behind desks: they are nurses and firefighters; they are teachers and police officers; they are the people who keep us safe and well and keep our children educated.

It appears that the Liberals just do not understand what frontline services mean to everyday people in our community. For the Liberals to argue that they need to make such savage cuts to the Public Service in order to strengthen the South Australian economy demonstrates just how out of touch they really are. As of 30 June 2011 I am advised there were 101,485 public sector workers or 84,882 full-time equivalents.

This represented about 12.3 per cent of the total South Australian workforce. One has to question what is going to be the impact on our economy if you sack 25,000 to 35,000 workers; if you take 25,000 to 35,000 wage earners out of the South Australian economy, what will happen? We will spiral into a recession. That is the Liberals' plan for the future. That is what they will take to the next election without telling anybody.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: This government acknowledges, of course, that there are opportunities for efficiencies across the workforce. Our approach is to make those efficiencies without impacting on the level of frontline services we provide our community. This is why we have created a new Public Service Act and established the Government Reform Commission and the Public Sector Performance Commission and have pursued the many initiatives developed by those bodies. We will continue to build on this work. This is of course in stark contrast to the South Australian Liberals' plan and the approach being taken in the Eastern States of Australia under Liberal state governments. Let us be clear: the Leader of the Opposition last week was telling the truth. The only mistake she made was letting it out.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The Liberal Party can—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The Liberal Party in this state—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: There would be some future workers in the gallery wondering how some of you people got a job!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Sir, let's be clear—

The Hon. G.E. Gago interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The minister has the call. He doesn't need any help from the Leader of the Government.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Let's be clear: the Liberal Party might change who the Leader of the Opposition is in the other place—that is entirely their prerogative—but, whilst they have promised an audit commission like they have in Queensland—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —they have already decided that they are going to sack 25,000 or more public sector workers. That is their decision, and they are just hiding it from the people of South Australia.

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