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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-04-30 Daily Xml
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Public Housing, Antisocial Behaviour

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:57): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Attorney-General regarding antisocial behaviour in public housing and SACAT.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Mr Dennis Brown, who is a resident in public housing at Mile End, has reportedly endured serious and repeated incidents involving a neighbouring public housing tenant. This includes faeces being left in his letterbox, an assault requiring 17 stitches and the property being set on fire. Understandably, members of the community are concerned that, even in extreme cases like this, serious antisocial behaviour is not being acted upon swiftly or decisively. My question for the minister is: under this government, what type of antisocial behaviour meets the threshold for immediate eviction through SACAT?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:58): I thank the honourable member for her question. As the honourable member would know, having had portfolio responsibility in some of these sorts of areas previously, there is, and quite rightly, a process before someone is evicted and vacant possession is given.

I understand there are many applications, which might even be into the thousands each year, from the South Australian Housing Trust in relation to antisocial behaviour and I think—but I am happy to check to make sure—some hundreds of orders are made in SACAT for vacant possession after applications from the South Australian Housing Trust. I will have to go away and get some information. I think there was further policy information released earlier this year in relation to Housing Trust tenants.

In relation to my area, which is the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT), they do make substantial orders in a whole range of areas, including the housing area, including evictions, and particularly evictions that are applied for by the public housing authorities. I think, in answer to a question in recent weeks, the figure that I remember was SACAT make an order something like every 3.9 minutes. It is a jurisdiction that is exceptionally efficient. It is a high volume jurisdiction making many orders.

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