Tuesday, 20 December 2022

 Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (16:57): (6) I wanted to raise a constituency matter today for the Minister for Housing. When it comes to public and social housing, there is much that we can agree upon across this chamber. Over a period of time now, like so many members I am sure, I have received correspondence from constituents who have had significant issues with their housing, and yet I have largely focused on other matters in my constituency contributions. I wanted to refer, in a de-identified way, to one constituent who recently contacted me with a story that is not uncommon, and I am sure it will ring true for other members. She talked to me about residing in a transitional property recently where she allegedly experienced violence. She spoke with me about having to flee that property and then her dreadful troubles in seeking to deal with another member of Parliament in order to seek to achieve the help that she needed. These are issues, as I say, that I hear about often and that we hear about often in this place, indeed President, in the region that you and I represent. My question is: how will the minister ensure that vulnerable people living in the north-eastern region have access to the safe public and community housing they need?