❓ Opposition asks the Minister for Housing about failures in safety device fitting and maintenance in public housing, as highlighted by an Auditor General's report. The Minister acknowledges the issues and accepts the report's recommendations, urging tenants to report concerns.
AnsweredQoN 403Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING AUTHORITY — PROPERTY SAFETY DEVICES
403. Hon SUE ELLERY to the Minister for
Housing:
I refer to the Auditor General's
report released today that details a litany of failures associated with the
fitting and maintenance of safety devices in the Housing Authority's 36
000 public housing properties.
(1) Does the
minister accept responsibility for what the Auditor General says are the agency's
systemic weaknesses in property inspections, collection of data and management
oversight?
(2) Does the
minister accept responsibility for the Housing Authority's continuing
inability to manage this program?
(3) What
assurances can the minister give his tenants today that their health and
safety, and that of their children, can be guaranteed following the admitted
failure of this program?
403. Hon SUE ELLERY to the Minister for
Housing:
I refer to the Auditor General's
report released today that details a litany of failures associated with the
fitting and maintenance of safety devices in the Housing Authority's 36
000 public housing properties.
(1) Does the
minister accept responsibility for what the Auditor General says are the agency's
systemic weaknesses in property inspections, collection of data and management
oversight?
(2) Does the
minister accept responsibility for the Housing Authority's continuing
inability to manage this program?
(3) What
assurances can the minister give his tenants today that their health and
safety, and that of their children, can be guaranteed following the admitted
failure of this program?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
thank the member for the question. I am as disappointed as anybody about what
that report has revealed. It is a pretty forthright report that clearly
indicates some issues with how the Housing Authority has managed information
around residual-current devices and safety devices. The Housing Authority
probably has not done enough in the five or nearly six years after the issue
was first brought to its attention. There are many, many reasons for that, but
I think it has some work to do. It needs to work towards meeting those
recommendations, which I accept—and the Housing Authority accepts that
it needs to meet all those recommendations. I think there are some issues
around the fact that every house under the Housing Authority's
portfolio has an electronic safety device and fire alarms. The challenge for it
is to determine whether it knows they are in working order. My comment to any
tenant in public housing is that if they are in any doubt, they need to contact
the Housing Authority immediately so those matters can be addressed.
Hon Stephen Dawson : Have you tried ringing the phone line?
Hon COL HOLT : I do not know, but if there is an issue
with that, it needs to fix that as well. I raise that concern too and tenants
should be proactive in raising issues with the Housing Authority.
thank the member for the question. I am as disappointed as anybody about what
that report has revealed. It is a pretty forthright report that clearly
indicates some issues with how the Housing Authority has managed information
around residual-current devices and safety devices. The Housing Authority
probably has not done enough in the five or nearly six years after the issue
was first brought to its attention. There are many, many reasons for that, but
I think it has some work to do. It needs to work towards meeting those
recommendations, which I accept—and the Housing Authority accepts that
it needs to meet all those recommendations. I think there are some issues
around the fact that every house under the Housing Authority's
portfolio has an electronic safety device and fire alarms. The challenge for it
is to determine whether it knows they are in working order. My comment to any
tenant in public housing is that if they are in any doubt, they need to contact
the Housing Authority immediately so those matters can be addressed.
Hon Stephen Dawson : Have you tried ringing the phone line?
Hon COL HOLT : I do not know, but if there is an issue
with that, it needs to fix that as well. I raise that concern too and tenants
should be proactive in raising issues with the Housing Authority.
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