QT: Public housing priorities
Ms BURNET question to MINISTER for HOUSING and PLANNING, Mr VINCENT
[10.57 a.m.]
When I read Anglicare's Secure Foundations report released last month, which looked at the impact housing insecurity on children, I was shocked to learn that families who are forced to leave their homes because of domestic and family violence are not automatically considered to be a high priority for social housing in this state. This leaves them waiting up to two years or more for social housing to escape a violent relationship. We know the terrible impact domestic violence, housing insecurity and homelessness has on victims and their children; why are they not considered a high priority for housing, and what will you do about it?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the honourable member for the question. I, too, was shocked to find out that there wasn't a bit more priority given to people in those horrible situations. On Easter Thursday, when I attended a Tasmanian Council of Social Services (TasCOSS) function with the Premier, I spoke to probably a dozen of the different social providers there. It came up in discussion, and I actually asked the question myself. It wasn't something I was aware of. It is something I have asked questions about to see why that is the case. There are different priorities that they have. I haven't got a full answer to those questions yet, but I am expecting that in the next week or so.
When you work through the different situations of emergency and crisis care, that stands out as an area of urgency. For a family, children, and a wife or a partner that is forced out of a situation, to move out of the family home, that is the home for the children and that family for a number of years, is traumatic enough of its own. To have a set procedure to go on, and understand, is something that I have asked, so I can understand that better and make changes as required for that. I am more than happy to come back to the member with a lot more detail on it, as I receive it, in the next week or two.
Supplementary Question
Ms BURNET - I thank the minister for that answer, but this is a critical situation. How will the minister prioritise this secure housing for these really vulnerable people?
Mr VINCENT - How is my commitment to look at it and see how we can? I had a meeting yesterday afternoon with Homes Tasmania, our CEO, and the chair of the board, about the increased delivery of projects around - there is a growing number of those projects coming along. We need to make sure that some of these buildings that we're doing are going to be isolated, so that we can take care of more in the crisis care. There is also a desperate need for more crisis care with youth. I'm fully aware of that. We're working on it to see which one of these developments that are happening now might be able to solve that issue for us.