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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-04 Daily Xml
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Public Housing

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:16): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Human Services regarding housing.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: On Wednesday 13 January, public housing residents at Hove and Brighton were issued with a relocation letter due to their homes being acquired to support a level crossing project. This is despite reported assurances that consultation on the project would continue into February. Labor supports improvements into transport infrastructure, but the way residents have been treated is appalling. The minister's new housing strategy says:

At the heart of each key strategic direction is a commitment to put the needs of our customers first. This means providing opportunity for people to be the architects of their own futures. People want greater control, choice and improved outcomes and opportunities.

They want to be heard and involved in housing and support decisions.

My questions to the minister are:

1. How does just sending a letter to tell people that they are being evicted align with the new housing strategy? Is this simply another opportunity where the government shows it doesn't care about people?

2. Has this failure been caused by the sacking of relocation officers in the agency who previously made personal contact with people who were being relocated?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for his question. The South Australian Housing Authority has a relocations policy in place for when a tenant may be asked to move from one property to another. I am advised the authority contacted the 15 affected tenants by hand-delivered correspondence on 8 January 2021 advising of the project. The correspondence advised that the authority would need to relocate them to alternative public housing by June 2021 to meet the requirements of the project.

The authority's local regional office has since made contact with each tenant either in person or by telephone. The authority will continue to work with these tenants on a one-to-one basis to support them through the relocation process. When offering a tenant another property I understand the authority does the following:

provides as much information as possible and makes sure the tenant is central to the decision-making process;

makes every reasonable attempt to minimise disadvantages the relocation may have;

considers the tenant's age, health and any special needs or circumstances;

pays any reasonable costs associated with the relocation as agreed with the tenant—for example, for removals; and

offers the tenant a similar type and length of lease agreement in a new property as they have in the existing property.

My advice is that the Housing Authority has made contact with all of the tenants and provided as much notice as possible to ensure that each of those tenants is given time to make considerations and that some tenants have already accepted the opportunity to move to another property.

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