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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-09-21 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Public Housing

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Human Services regarding housing.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The opposition has been contacted by a person in public housing who lives with a disability and has a carer who assists them with many aspects of daily life, including food preparation. This person recently had their entire kitchen replaced, which would normally be good news; however, in this case there was no oven, or no stove, when the work was allegedly completed.

It has now been five weeks through some of the coldest parts of the year, with almost no way to have a hot meal without spending money on takeaway food. The matter has now been reported to the South Australian Housing Authority and the contractor on multiple occasions, we are informed.

We are told the excuses have piled up and range from ordering a wrong part to the effects of COVID. There have been no offers of compensation, alternative accommodation or even food vouchers. My questions to the minister are:

1. What does the minister have to say to public housing tenants like this, ones whose homes probably would not be approved for habitation if they were put on the private market today?

2. Does the minister understand that people living with a disability on pensions, who already spend large amounts of money to manage their daily life, can't afford to eat out all the time because of no cooking facilities in their kitchen?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:25): Can I say at the outset, I do hope that the opposition has, when they received this information, forwarded it promptly to our office—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You already have it. The agency already knows about it.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —in order to take some action to have—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: The agency already knows about it. Why don't you?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The leader asked a question. Listen to the answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —the matter rectified. We have in the order—

An honourable member interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: SAHA has in the order of some 200,000 taskings a year in its maintenance contract program, so it clearly uses a large—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, continue.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —number of items that it has in its system and therefore that is quite a logistical exercise for it. I do always caution people—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —when there are claims made by the opposition, whether it's in this place or in media outlets or the like, that we always need to go and check the facts when it comes to what Labor say and what has actually taken place.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Why don't you know about it already? Your agency has been told multiple times—multiple times.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter will cease!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: If the Labor Party and the honourable member is sincere in what he is doing, he will provide me with the details—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I am quite happy—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: If your agency chooses to keep you in the dark, that's a problem with how you manage your agency.

The PRESIDENT: The Leader of the Opposition is out of order.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I am quite happy to walk across the aisle, or he can walk across the aisle, give me a name, give me an address and we will follow it up immediately, as we do—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —with all of these things, rather than playing chicken or some sort of childish guess game about, 'Well, you know, if it's in your system why don't you know about it?'

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The deputy leader is out of order.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: There are media outlets such as FIVEaa; Mr Leon Byner frequently gets members of the public—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You don't even know what your agency gets up to. Kitchens without stoves, Michelle?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —public tenants who call in to his program who need assistance. He refers them directly to the chief executive, or to my office, and we resolve them, and he has been quite complimentary—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Now you're outsourcing to the radio station. That's your job, you're the minister. It is your job.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —that these matters are resolved very quickly, but I think it speaks—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —to the integrity of the Labor Party, or the lack thereof, that they will sit there—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: What about the integrity of a minister who issues kitchens without stoves? Kitchens without stoves, Michelle?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —like a bunch of schoolkids—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! It is very early in the day, but the opposition is risking the next question.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —and not actually be interested in resolving the issue. The easiest way to ensure—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —that I, or my agency, are aware of it is to provide the details to myself. I will walk across the aisle as soon as I am not on my feet and ask the honourable member—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Why don't you pick up the phone to your agency? Ask the questions.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —for the name or the address, either one. We can have this matter resolved.

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