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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-19 Daily Xml
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Housing Trust Rent

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:21): Supplementary: are there any Housing Trust renters who will see increases in their rent as a result of this budget?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:21): I thank the honourable member for his supplementary. That is correct; that is those people who reside in bedsit cottage flats or one-bedroom cottage flats who currently are paying 19 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. Their rents were increased by the previous Labor government in 2011 from previous levels. Of course, people—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: What levels?

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, you have asked your question. Let the minister answer. You can ask another question in a moment.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Thank you, Mr President. I would like to continue to respond. Of course, those people who reside in two-bedroom cottage flats are already paying 25 per cent as a result of the same policy change—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —are paying 25 per cent from 2011. Can I just remind members opposite that interjections are disorderly.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I'm answering—

The PRESIDENT: Minister.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, please, I do not need your commentary. I would like to listen to the minister's answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I am responding to the original question. I am happy to respond to any supplementaries. The stated policy of the former government was that people who live in public housing pay 25 per cent of their household income. That has been the situation for many—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —for many, many years. It is not—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You need to be accurate.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I don't need to be reminded by an incompetent former minister—

The PRESIDENT: Minister, through me. Ignore—

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I'm sorry, Mr President. The members opposite are quite disorderly.

The PRESIDENT: Hon. Mr Hunter, please, the minister does not require your advice.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: She needs someone's advice.

The PRESIDENT: Not yours.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: They don't like to be reminded of the facts. In fact, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Croydon, when he said that Labor never, ever increased rents was telling a porky, but set that aside.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Thank you, Mr President. I do like to be heard in silence so I can actually respond and I can actually think about what I'm saying. The policy has not been that households pay according to dwelling type. For instance, people are not charged more for living in a three or four-bedroom house. It is 25 per cent of income or market value, whichever is the lower.

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