The ACT government is "in breach" of its parliamentary and governing agreement as it has not met targets to increase public housing, a government backbencher has argued.
The Greens' Johnathan Davis asked Labor Housing Minister Yvette Berry about a decline in public housing stock in budget estimates and said this was against the power-sharing agreement between Labor and the Greens.
The agreement said the government would aim to deliver an extra 400 public housing properties by 2025.
But public housing stock in the territory has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, the Productivity Commission revealed earlier this year. The ACT had 10,744 public housing properties, down from its 2018 peak of 11,181.
Mr Davis asked Ms Berry and officials whether the government would review its public housing growth and renewal program given the decline.
He repeated his previous call for the government to re-examine its plans around selling properties. Mr Davis said the government's failure to increase the amount of public housing could amount to a breach of its power-sharing agreement.
"I, along with the other 15 members of this government signed that parliamentary and governing agreement, a contract not only between our two political parties to govern, but I would argue a contract with the Canberra community about what they could expect from the most progressive government in the country," he said.
"At the moment, the inability to meet that target leads me to conclude that I and the government at large are in breach of that contract, both with the two governing parties and with the electorate at large.
"Is it acceptable in the greatest housing crisis the territory has even seen to not find a way to reform this program to meet the most modest targets agreed to by our two parties and committed to the electorate."
Ms Berry responded by reading the power-sharing agreement where it says the government would "aim to deliver a total of 400 additional public housing properties" but Mr Davis did not accept this explanation.
"Do we think the community accepts aim and strive as a good explanation?," he said.
"I mean it sounds like a get out of jail free card."
The government has said this decline is due to the fact older properties had been taken out of the market as part of the government's renewal program. The number of public housing properties is unlikely to have a notable increase until 2025.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
