❓ Ms. Saffioti questions the Minister for Housing about inaction regarding a Homeswest tenant with three strikes for antisocial behaviour, despite ongoing police involvement and resident distress. The Minister acknowledges the issue, explains the process, and promises to investigate the specific case.
AnsweredQoN 502Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING — PENSIONER
UNITS — 23 GREENOAKS GARDEN, BALLAJURA
502. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to behaviour at a Homeswest
unit at 23 Greenoaks Garden, Ballajura—an issue I have previously
raised in this place—which has had neighbouring residents living in
fear and experiencing enormous stress, and the minister's statement in
this house on 9 August about this unit, in which he stated —
Therefore, three strikes have been
issued on this particular person and the claims have been substantiated. I
highlight now that that is absolutely appropriate, and that the department is
now taking the appropriate action.
(1) Given that
three strikes were issued against this tenant on 8 June, why has nothing
happened since that time?
(2) Is the
minister aware that since 14 August police have had to attend at least four
times, with the neighbours having to endure significant antisocial issues, and
that the situation is spiralling out of control? I again ask: what will the
minister do about the situation?
UNITS — 23 GREENOAKS GARDEN, BALLAJURA
502. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to behaviour at a Homeswest
unit at 23 Greenoaks Garden, Ballajura—an issue I have previously
raised in this place—which has had neighbouring residents living in
fear and experiencing enormous stress, and the minister's statement in
this house on 9 August about this unit, in which he stated —
Therefore, three strikes have been
issued on this particular person and the claims have been substantiated. I
highlight now that that is absolutely appropriate, and that the department is
now taking the appropriate action.
(1) Given that
three strikes were issued against this tenant on 8 June, why has nothing
happened since that time?
(2) Is the
minister aware that since 14 August police have had to attend at least four
times, with the neighbours having to endure significant antisocial issues, and
that the situation is spiralling out of control? I again ask: what will the
minister do about the situation?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. My recollection is that the member raised
that as a grievance with me recently. That certainly was a concern to me at the
time and still remains one. As the member knows, we put the three-strikes
policy in place for a purpose. For the most part, that is getting quite a good
outcome in terms of having a level of currency among Homeswest residents. To
give members an idea of that, as at 31 August under the policy we put in place
there were some 17 000 complaints on the reporting line. There were 1 231 first
strikes, 482 second strikes, 146 third strikes and 67 tenancies have been
terminated. When I get those sorts of numbers and letters written to me by
members of Parliament on behalf of Homeswest tenants saying that they have a
great concern that a person has a strike against their name and asking me
whether we can do something about it, it tells me that it has some currency.
The situation the member describes is
that there are a number of older folk in a community that contains a number of
Homeswest places in one location and there is an issue with one particular
resident who has got three strikes. It is not Terry Redman or the Director
General of the Department of Housing who makes a decision about that; it will
go to court and the court will make a decision. The challenge in some cases—this
was the conversation I had with the member—is that although people will
raise issues on the hotline, they are sometimes not prepared to go to court. I
do not ever want to be in a situation to force people to do that. I think that
would be the wrong decision. Sometimes people are fearful of the circumstances
they are in. It remains a concern to me that if the government is managing
housing for a number of older folk, we need to provide a safe environment for
them. I am happy to ask the question now to find out the current status of the
situation and the exact reasons that it has not been resolved and to personally
get back to the member on that. The full readout that I have of the policy
setting is that it is generally a good one. I think we are taking the right
pathway. The signals I am getting tell me that there is currency in having the
strikes. The issue that the member has raised with me is a sad set of
circumstances. I will get updated on that and get back to the member personally
on where that is at.
thank the member for the question. My recollection is that the member raised
that as a grievance with me recently. That certainly was a concern to me at the
time and still remains one. As the member knows, we put the three-strikes
policy in place for a purpose. For the most part, that is getting quite a good
outcome in terms of having a level of currency among Homeswest residents. To
give members an idea of that, as at 31 August under the policy we put in place
there were some 17 000 complaints on the reporting line. There were 1 231 first
strikes, 482 second strikes, 146 third strikes and 67 tenancies have been
terminated. When I get those sorts of numbers and letters written to me by
members of Parliament on behalf of Homeswest tenants saying that they have a
great concern that a person has a strike against their name and asking me
whether we can do something about it, it tells me that it has some currency.
The situation the member describes is
that there are a number of older folk in a community that contains a number of
Homeswest places in one location and there is an issue with one particular
resident who has got three strikes. It is not Terry Redman or the Director
General of the Department of Housing who makes a decision about that; it will
go to court and the court will make a decision. The challenge in some cases—this
was the conversation I had with the member—is that although people will
raise issues on the hotline, they are sometimes not prepared to go to court. I
do not ever want to be in a situation to force people to do that. I think that
would be the wrong decision. Sometimes people are fearful of the circumstances
they are in. It remains a concern to me that if the government is managing
housing for a number of older folk, we need to provide a safe environment for
them. I am happy to ask the question now to find out the current status of the
situation and the exact reasons that it has not been resolved and to personally
get back to the member on that. The full readout that I have of the policy
setting is that it is generally a good one. I think we are taking the right
pathway. The signals I am getting tell me that there is currency in having the
strikes. The issue that the member has raised with me is a sad set of
circumstances. I will get updated on that and get back to the member personally
on where that is at.
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