STATEMENT FROM INDEPENDENT MEMBER FOR KURRAJONG, THOMAS EMERSON MLA

This report confirms what people living with disability in public housing across our community already knew; they’ve been let down by a system that promised to support them.

It’s completely unacceptable to continue letting down some of our most vulnerable community members like this.

Many of the Committee’s recommendations basically tell the ACT Government to follow through on its existing unmet commitments. This has become a concerning trend: the Government makes commitments, questions in the Assembly reveal they’ve failed to deliver on them, then parliamentary committees recommend they take steps to fulfil those commitments. Then the Government responds to those recommendations by saying they’re ‘existing government policy’ and nothing seems to change.

In 2018, the ACT Government launched a 10-year housing strategy with a commitment to “facilitate the development of Specialist Disability Accommodation under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.” 

Eight years later, we’ve missed out on tens of millions of dollars in Commonwealth funding because Housing ACT has failed to access any of the SDA funding sitting in tenants’ NDIS packages. 

What I hear from Canberrans more than anything else isn’t that they want new promises from their government – they just want them to do what they’ve already said they’ll do.

We’ve heard this is a complex issue, but living with a disability in poorly maintained public housing is incredibly complex. It’s the Government’s job to handle complexity, not to abandon vulnerable community members to manage these complexities alone.

This has been fumbled from start to finish. The ACT Government needs to step up when it comes to supporting Canberrans with disability.

END STATEMENT 

MEDIA CONTACT: Will Devine | 0402 183 296  |  [email protected]

BACKGROUND: 

The failure of Housing ACT to access SDA funding for public housing tenants was identified through Senate questioning from David Pocock more than two years ago. In April 2024, that questioning prompted the ACT Government to announce a four-month engagement process to get to the bottom of it. In November 2025, then-Housing Minister Yvette Berry admitted that piece of work never occurred. Senator Pocock and Mr Emerson then wrote a joint letter to both levels of government calling for them to step up and work together to ensure anyone eligible for this funding in ACT public housing received it. 

Yesterday afternoon, the ACT Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts and Administration Committee published the report from its inquiry into Specialist Disability Accommodation service delivery through Housing ACT. The report is available here.

Mr Emerson has been advocating for better living conditions for public housing tenants and increased investment in the ACT’s public housing stock. During the last sitting week, he moved an Assembly motion with fellow Kurrajong MLA Rebecca Vassarotti compelling the ACT Government to release a range of documents relating to its management of public housing including ministerial briefs on Specialist Disability Accommodation. The documents are due to be released on 21 December 2026, with subsequent reporting every six months for the remainder of the term.

Mr Emerson has also been questioning the ACT Government regarding its inaction with respect to the provision of Specialist Disability Accommodation for public housing tenants.