Wednesday, 20 March 2019

 Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:35): My question is to the Minister for Housing. Public housing tenants David Marffy and Elizabeth Malthouse of Belmont have been living in fear of a fellow public housing tenant for a number of years. Mr Marffy is Jewish and is extremely distressed after being subjected to increasing verbal anti-Semitic abuse, being forced to witness swastikas hanging from a window of a neighbouring residence and swastikas sprayed on communal bins. Ms Malthouse contacted the minister in early January 2019 pleading that this tenant be removed as a matter of urgency. However, the offending tenant is still there. Why has the government failed to remove this tenant?

 Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Planning) (11:35): I thank the member for Kew for the question. I am aware of this particular tenant’s issues, and I also aware of the very offensive behaviour that has occurred there. The local office of the department of housing in Geelong is dealing both with the tenant themselves and indeed the other party.

There is no place in our public housing for this sort of behaviour. I mean, this is not just antisocial behaviour, and in the context of the really important work that has been done this week in this Parliament and indeed again today, we repudiate any of this sort of offensive behaviour. I can assure the member for Kew that this matter is being actively pursued by the department, as you would expect me to.

 Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:37): A response provided by the minister on 3 February 2019 to Ms Malthouse’s plea for help trivialised these hateful acts as merely an inconvenience. How long will this public housing tenant be allowed to remain in this location, openly threatening and religiously vilifying other tenants and displaying symbols of hate?

 Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Planning) (11:37): This question invites a couple of responses, but I am not going to take the low road. This is about ensuring that our public—

Mr T Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister wrote on 3 February:

I apologise for the inconvenience that you and Mr Marffy have experienced.

This is not an inconvenience, Minister. This is extremely serious.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

Mr WYNNE: I just simply repeat this: there is no place within our public housing for this type of behaviour. It is reprehensible behaviour, and in the context of the very, very important conversations that have occurred in this Parliament both yesterday and indeed today, I am absolutely confident that—

Mr T Smith interjected.

Mr WYNNE: You say, ‘Kick him out’. There are processes involved in somebody being evicted from public housing, and I can assure the member for Kew that in fact the government, through the Office of Housing, is pursuing this matter on behalf of the tenant that you raised and indeed the other neighbouring tenant.