WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1979
+THIS YEAR APPROXIMATELY 57 000 PEOPLE WILL MOVE INTO PUBLIC HOUSING SIMPLY BECAUSE THE LAND THEY LIVE ON HAS TO BE CLEARED FOR DEVELOPMENT, MOSTLY FOR PUBLIC HOUSING,
+AS MUCH AS A THIRD OF NEW PUBLIC HOUSING IS PRESENTLY COMMITTED IN THIS WAY WITH INEVITABLE DISAPPOINTMENT FOR THOUSANDS ON THE WAITING LIST, HE SAID.
HE SYMPATHISED WITH THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT TODAY MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE, 46 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION, LIVE IN HOMES PROVIDED OR SUBSIDISED BY OUR GOVERNMENT YET IN THE LAST 11 YEARS ONLY 63 000 OF THE FAMILIES, SAY 300 000 PEOPLE, WHO HAVE MOVED INTO PUBLIC HOUSING CAME FROM THE WAITING LIST.
+DURING THOSE 11 YEARS THREE TIMES AS MANY, 191 000 FAMILIES, OR NEARLY ONE MILLION PEOPLE, WERE REJECTED WHEN THE IR NUMBERS DID COME UP, BECAUSE THEY NO LONGER MET THE INCOME OR SPACE CRITERIA.
+ IT IS AN INESCAPABLE CONCLUSION THAT THIS WAS A SIMPLE RESULT OF THE LONG TIME THEY HAD WAITED ON THE LIST.*
HE HOPED THE REVIEW ANNOUNCED BY THE GOVERNOR CONCERNING THOSE FAMILIES WHOSE INCOME JUST EXCEEDED THE $5 000 LIMIT SET FOR THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME MAY LEAD TO SOME RELIEF FOR THESE PEOPLE WHOSE CHIEF FAULT IS TO HAVE WAITED TOO LONG.+
IT CANNOT BE REGARDED AS A HEALTHY ASPECT OF OUR PROGRAMME THAT IT SOMETIMES SEEMS TO FAVOUR THE SQUATTER WHO IS LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE ON LAND WHICH MUST BE CLEARED AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PATIENT FAMILY ON THE WAITING LIST.
WE OUGHT TO EXPLORE BETTER MEANS OF MEETING THEIR EXPECTATIONS. IF WE DO NOT THEN ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR HOUSING PROGRAMME AND ALL THE RESOURCES WE ARE ABLE TO EXPEND ON IT WILL BE UNDERVALUED, HE SAID.
HE FELT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOW MONITOR CLOSELY THE PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC HOUSING AND THE STATE OF PLAY IN RESPECT OF SUPPORTING SECURITY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES IN THE PIPELINE, FOR IT APPEARS TO HIM THAT SOME OF THESE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES DO NOT TIE IN PARTICULARLY WELL WITH SOME OF THE HOUSING PROJECTS IN PROGRESS, PARTICULARLY IN THE URBAN AREAS.
+ARE WE SATISFIED THAT WHERE THERE ARE MAJOR POPULATION SHIFTS OR NEW POPULATION CENTRES ESTABLISHED, THAT WE HAVE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES IN THE FORM OF POLICE, FIRE, AMBULANCE, CLINICS, SCHOOLS, ROAD, PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND SO ON?
+SHOULD WE NOT TAKE ANOTHER GOOD LOOK TO SEE IF THERE IS NEED FOR IMPROVED CO-ORDINATION OF URBAN AREAS' PUBLIC WORKS AND PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AND IF WE SHOULD NOT EXTEND THE NT PROJECT MANAGER SCHEME TO URBAN AREA DISTRICTS?+ HE ASKED.
HE POINTED OUT THAT SINCE HE LAST SPOKE OF THE MIDDLE- INCOME 'SANDWICHED SOCIETY' IN THE COUNCIL, THEIR RELATIVE POSITION HAS BEEN STILL MORE SERIOUSLY ERODED.
/+IT IS