Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-04 Daily Xml

Contents

BRIGHTON CARAVAN PARK

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:34): My supplementary question is: given that the minister asserts that the Holdfast council is intransigent in not being willing to provide support to these residents in relocation and finding alternative housing, at what point will the state government support those citizens in meeting their basic needs?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:34): The state government has a number of housing supports in place that these residents can access, so there are a number of housing and other community support services that the state government and the commonwealth government provide to assist and support people.

All of those services are available, but the bottom line is that the Holdfast council has a moral obligation to look after these people. They have a moral obligation at least to assist these people to find alternate accommodation, and it is within their power to do so. They have the resources to do it. They need to get on and do it, and I think it behoves us to hold this council responsible to fulfil its obligations, not to provide a scapegoat for them.