Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The purpose of my private member's motion is threefold. Firstly, it notes that Darwin, and indeed the Northern Territory, is currently experiencing the worst housing crisis since Cyclone Tracy and that the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, the member for Lingiari, supports the plans to demolish or remove 396 houses at Eaton—or as the locals know it, RAAF Base Winnellie. Secondly, it notes the significant adverse impact the demolition or removal of these houses will have on the local community, the local school and the local businesses. Thirdly, it calls on the Gillard Labor government to take action by excising the Darwin suburb of Eaton from RAAF Base Darwin; handing over the 396 houses currently managed by the Department of Defence in Eaton to Defence Housing Australia; and, as a matter of priority, directing DHA to develop and implement a business plan that would determine the percentage of the 396 houses in Eaton that could be made available for lease or on-sale to the local community in order to help address the critical housing shortage.

It is well over 12 months since I first publicly raised this issue in an attempt to stop the lunacy of this Labor government demolishing 396 perfectly good houses at RAAF Base Darwin. I promised Territorians that if I were elected I would continue to fight to make these houses available to Territorians. True to my word, I raised this issue the first day I came to this place, and I have raised it at every opportunity I have had in this place. Territorians cannot understand why this Labor government insists on having these houses sitting there vacant, especially when people are sleeping in cars or on the streets because of the housing crisis. Everyone knows that the Northern Territory is one of the most expensive places to live in Australia. Territorians tell me every day that they feel like this government has comprehensively failed to address the cost-of-living pressures on Australians, particularly Territorians.

I asked Minister Snowdon, a fellow Territorian, a number of times on behalf of the people of Solomon to make these 396 houses available for Territorians. I pleaded with him not to leave them vacant. We all know how houses that are left vacant deteriorate, and that is exactly what is happening right now. These houses are slowly rotting away. It is a complete waste of taxpayer funded resources. No-one likes to see waste, especially such a blatant example of waste. Territorians are outraged. They see with the eye of common sense but fail to understand why this issue remains unresolved and why these houses continue to sit vacant. I have been talking to some of my colleagues in this place and they also cannot understand why these houses are sitting vacant, and they have indicated their support for my motion.

During the 2010 election campaign, Territorians were told by this Labor government that the houses were to be demolished or removed because the Joint Strike Fighters were to be based at RAAF Winnellie and that the noise from these planes would have an adverse effect on the RAAF houses and that, supposedly, the noise would not impact the industrial area or the private houses right next door. How does that work? Embarrassingly for this government, the Department of Defence came out and corrected the record. The JSFs were not going to be housed at RAAF Winnellie at all; therefore, the noise from the planes was irrelevant. Defence further corrected the record by stating that their 396 houses do not meet the new Defence Housing standards and that this was one of the factors the houses were recommended for removal or demolition. This is what Territorians are so upset about. The new Defence Housing standards will not be implemented until 2016—five years away. Although these houses do not meet future defence housing standards, many Territorians would love the opportunity to live in or own one of these houses. They do not want them sitting there vacant. It is important to use these houses, and that is what I have said from day one: let's use these houses. This government, by keeping these houses vacant, continues to send a message to Territorians that this government stands for waste and mismanagement. One of the excuses I was given was that Defence personnel want to live in southern style houses. How practical is that in the tropics? I understand that Defence Housing Australia is now building tropical style houses. If we give these houses to DHA they are going to have 396 tropically designed houses already in their stock. DHA has experience in successfully building communities that integrate both Defence and civilian families. Why should Eaton be any different? (Time expired)

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