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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-08-24 Daily Xml
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Social Housing

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (16:03): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding social housing. Can the minister please update the council on how changes to eligibility criteria for social housing will help support South Australia's most vulnerable?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (16:03): I thank the honourable member for her question and for her interest in this area. The South Australian government has taken the step of revising our income and asset limits for people to register for public and community housing, or social housing as it is collectively known, to bring these into line with community expectations and closer into line with what is done in other jurisdictions.

We had a situation which existed for some time and nobody could actually explain it to me, even though I asked, why somebody who has a single household could have close to half a million dollars in assets—except for a property—so half a million dollars in the bank and still access our public housing register. What that has meant is that there have been expectations for people who have been eligible to get onto the register that they may in fact be entitled to a house and may actually achieve one in some time, which, as we know, demand is greater than the supply that we have.

I might remind honourable members, particularly if the Labor Party wants to take issue with this, that they sold some 7½ thousand properties in their time in office, which has meant that we are not able to support everybody who is on the category 1 list, which is the people who are most in need. So we have revised those asset and income limits, particularly now that they were much more generous than any other jurisdiction in Australia.

It's also about transparency for people, being honest with people about, if they were to register, whether they were likely to be able to become a public Housing Trust tenant. I think a lot of people who are in public housing are very supportive of this change to the income and asset limits. In fact, I think it was on the ABC that a lady was interviewed who had gone through an extended period of financial challenge who, like me, found it hard to believe that people could have assets of such high level and still be able to access a public housing property.

Since we have come to office, we have actually been able to reduce the public housing list, with some 4,000 people on the category 1 list.

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: So it's about the list, it's not about anyone getting a house.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: This is before the asset and income limits changed. The honourable member probably wasn't listening because those people who would have been able to register under the old system wouldn't have been category 1 anyway. The category 1 waiting list—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable Leader of the Opposition is out of order!

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, proceed.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: The category 1 waiting list under Labor was some 4,000 people; it is now down to 3,290-ish. The total waiting list, including all categories, under Labor was in the order of 20,000; it is now down to 16,600. We believe we have a system which is much more oriented—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I am sure the minister is going to conclude her answer in the near future. However, I would like to hear that conclusion and I can't.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Wortley is out of order.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I could keep going all afternoon on this subject, Mr President, but I won't. The assets of the trust are being managed much better. There are people who are receiving support who need it the most and we continue to provide support to those people who need it the most. I might also add—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —there is an impact on the staff who work for the agency.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Some of them have advised me they have asked for this reform for years and it didn't happen. So they are greatly relieved because the system is now much more transparent and people's expectations are more realistic.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Question time—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Question time has concluded. The Hon. Ms Franks is on her feet.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, minister!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! There will be no conversations across the chamber. There is a member on her feet.

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