Independent MLA Thomas Emerson has welcomed a report from the Auditor-General on the ACT Government’s Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program, expressing concerns about findings that suggest tenants’ needs are not adequately considered in decision-making processes.
The report shows tenant information was often missing when decisions were made to sell or redevelop public housing properties. Mr Emerson said this was evidence that the financialisation of housing was having a dehumanising effect on the Government’s public housing policies.
“I strongly support renewing and growing our public housing stock, but where’s the tenant’s voice in all of this?” said Mr Emerson.
“Today’s report from the Auditor-General is a reminder that our public housing system has continually failed to put tenants first.
“Chronic underfunding backs Housing ACT into a corner, forcing them to liquidate the only assets they have - public housing properties. The problem is those assets are homes to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
The audit found that:
- Since November 2021, the Client Services Branch, which is responsible for the tenant experience, is no longer a member of the panel that assesses which homes to sell or redevelop;
- the information about tenants used to inform decisions is inconsistently recorded, including whether people have disability or special needs; and
- decision makers do not have immediate access to complete, integrated, and current information about tenants’ needs when determining which properties to sell or redevelop because of Housing ACT’s fragmented databases.
“Decisions are being made behind tenants’ backs. We can’t keep stripping the human element out of government decision-making processes,” said Mr Emerson.
“Lacking sufficient ongoing funding, Housing ACT is forced to liquidate valuable properties located in the inner suburbs. This practice creates perverse outcomes, as we saw with the volunteer-cultivated community garden in Ainslie, and the lawsuits that have been brought by tenants who’ve faced forced relocations.
“We need to rethink our approach to social housing, so it can do what it’s meant to do – support our most vulnerable community members.”