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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-10-13 Daily Xml
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Public Housing

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:46): 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: In this place yesterday, the minister said that the Liberals don't engage in a policy of spray and pray when it comes to spending money on housing and homelessness. This answer was in response to a question about why barely 10 per cent of a $20 million Homelessness Prevention Fund had been committed to in two years. The minister wasn't able to say how much had actually been spent or how many people had actually been helped under the fund.

As we heard from the last question from the opposition, there have been recent revelations about why, in a rushed $50 million maintenance boost last financial year, the waste included some botched work of buying some appliances, which then couldn't be used—I think air conditioners specifically. My questions to the minister are:

1. Exactly how much money was wasted on maintenance work that had been redone or appliances which then couldn't subsequently be installed?

2. What assurances can the minister provide that the amount of money which may have been wasted on the maintenance program in a single year isn't more than the total Homelessness Prevention Fund since it was announced two years ago?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:47): I thank the honourable member for his question, although I note he does misrepresent a number of things in his question. Here we have the Labor Party complaining about spending money on maintenance of public housing properties—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I would advise the opposition to listen to the minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —complaining about spending money on Housing Trust properties.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I might have to email Sascha Meldrum and let her know that I have a DL for her for the upcoming campaign, that the Labor Party doesn't think we should be spending money on maintenance, but we know that anyway because they kept cutting it when they were in office. Just extraordinary, isn't it? This is the Labor Party who like to portray themselves as—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —looking after the most disadvantaged people in our society. Here they come—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Opposition Whip is out of order, as is the leader.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —complaining about spending $50 million on maintenance—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —and knowing that they cut the maintenance back.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I think that's a fair indication, if the Labor Party were elected—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter will be silent.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —of what will happen to the assets of—

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: How much have you wasted?

The PRESIDENT: The deputy leader is not helping.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —the South Australian Housing Authority. The Hon. Mr Hanson's question might have a little bit of a problem with arithmetic, because it is a $20 million program over 10 years and he is complaining about us allocating over $2 million of it.

But that aside, one of the matters that had been raised was whether works were done on properties that were subsequently demolished, and the response on that is that there may be some properties that are brought up to spec for sale, which means that you will get a better sale price, but in terms of redoing works that is certainly not something that the Housing Trust undertakes.

I do hear these interjections about the air conditioners, which will be installed when the electricity has been upgraded.

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