← All decisions

1. What was proposedThomas EmersonIndependent · Crossbench
   Read the original wording (490 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the proportion of public housing in the ACT has declined from 12.2 percent in 1989 to 5.5 percent in 2026; (b) there were 3,652 approved applicants on the ACT’s public housing waitlist on 30 June 2026; (c) there were 588 vacant public housing dwellings in the ACT in August 2026, of which 285 required maintenance or upgrades to be tenantable; (d) properties awaiting maintenance or upgrades remained vacant for an average of 284 days as of June 2026; (e) the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2026 shows the proportion of ACT public housing in acceptable condition has decreased from 76 percent in 2023 to 71 percent in 2025, the second worst rate in the country; (f) Housing ACT’s accountability indicator sets a public housing occupancy target of 96 percent, which was not on track to be met in 2025-2026; and (g) despite Programmed being contracted to deliver Housing ACT maintenance, the Government piloted the insourcing of this maintenance for one year from July 2024; (2) further notes that: (a) this Assembly unanimously agreed that housing is a human right in 2025; (b) Mr Jonny Warren’s “20 Homes By Christmas” campaign offers a rapid pathway to enable 20 of the ACT’s vacant public housing properties to be occupied by Christmas; (c) this would be achieved through pro bono industry-supplied labour and materials to renovate properties selected by the Government; (d) the donated labour and supplies would satisfy all mandated minimum qualification, insurance, quality and industry standards; (e) ACT Shelter, Housing All Australians and over 200 local tradespeople have indicated their support for the project and volunteered to help; (f) 2024 ACT Australian of the Year and ACT Chair of Housing All Australians, Ms Jo Farrell, has obtained a Secure Local Jobs Code certificate as requested by the Government and will provide project managers for the initiative; (g) Mr Warren hopes the campaign can be piloted and ultimately scaled up to 100 homes next year; and (h) the outpouring of support for this proposal shows there is significant community concern regarding the shortage of public housing available for vulnerable Canberrans and the rise in homelessness across the ACT; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) allocate 20 suitable properties for this initiative to commence by the end of September 2026; (b) work with Mr Warren and his team to ensure approvals are processed expeditiously to enable the maintenance and upgrade works to be carried out in time for the properties to be tenanted by 25 December 2026; (c) evaluate the success of the initiative by the end of March 2027 and report back to the Assembly on outcomes from the evaluation by the end of May 2027; (d) commit to reducing the average vacancy time for properties requiring maintenance or upgrades to no greater than 90 days; and (e) revise Housing ACT’s accountability indicator for public housing occupancy to at least 98 percent.

2. Proposed changeSuzanne OrrLabor · Minister16 September 2026

   Grouped by key words as: rewrote the proposal, changed a date or deadline, changed a number or target, added conditions.

   The exact wording of this change

   together: 1. After paragraph (2), insert: “(2A) further notes:· (a) the ACT Government has an existing contractual arrangement with Programmed Facilities Management (Programmed) as the public housing facilities manager; (b) ‘vacancy time’ refers to the period a property does not have an active tenancy; (c) following a tenancy ending, Housing ACT will determine how the property will be used in the future and, together with Programmed, identify any repairs and maintenance to be undertaken; (d) repairs and maintenance works range from cleaning to structural repairs and can include insurance works; (e) as at 30 June 2026, the 285 vacant properties cited in this motion were going through a maintenance or upgrade process as follows: (i) 79 required routine maintenance; (ii) 80 required single upgrades; (iii) 69 required multiple upgrades; and (iv) 57 required major works or insurance repairs; (f) performance against key indicators under the Total Facilities Management Contract for Quarter 4 2025-26 are showing that vacant properties are being returned from Programmed to Housing ACT at an average of: (i) 8 days for routine works; (ii) 25 days for single upgrades; and (iii) 36 days for multiple upgrades; (g) as noted in QTON No 214, the average vacancy time of 284 days for the 285 properties in the ‘maintenance or upgrade’ category at 30 June 2026 is skewed by properties requiring extensive works or are in the insurance path and it does not reflect how long properties are with Programmed for repairs and maintenance; (h) upon completion of repairs and maintenance the property is offered to tenants by Housing ACT and in line with statutory obligations; (i) the average period for allocation of property to a tenant is highly variable; (j) while the 20 Homes proposal is being offered at no cost, the underlying procurement principles remain relevant, including value for money, transparency of decision-making, appropriate process, fair and equitable treatment of prospective suppliers, risk management, probity and ethical conduct; (k) in addition to providing public housing, the ACT Government supports the pathway out of homelessness through specialised programs with wrap around services and supports coordinated by community housing providers and community sector organisations; and (l) community providers of homelessness crisis accommodation and wrap around services have indicated they would be interested in connecting with the 20 Homes organisers to potentially partner with them on an initiative such as that being proposed;”. 2. In paragraph (3)(a) omit “to commence by the end of September 2026”. 3. In paragraph (3), after “calls on the ACT Government to:” insert: “(a) subject to all relevant statutory obligations being met, including tenant privacy requirements and probity obligations, and to Mr Warren and his team entering into appropriate contractual arrangements with the ACT Government’s public housing facilities manager, Programmed Facilities Management;”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

3. Proposed changeTara CheyneLabor · Minister16 September 2026

   Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point, added conditions.

   The exact wording of this change

   to the motion, as amended, together: 1. In paragraph (3)(d) after “no greater than 90 days” insert: “excluding properties requiring extensive repairs or maintenance that would reasonably take more than 90 days to complete or are subject to an insurance claim or are in the hard to let category;”. 2. In paragraph (3)(e) omit “revise”, substitute “look at revising”. Debate continued.

   Not agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded.

4. Proposed changeFiona CarrickIndependent · Crossbench16 September 2026

   Grouped by key words as: rewrote the proposal.

   Before

   (d) commit to reducing the average vacancy time for properties requiring maintenance or upgrades to no greater than 90 days

   After this change

   (d) establish a new accountability indicator for the average vacancy time for public housing properties requiring maintenance or upgrades, with a target of 90 days or less; and

   The exact wording of this change

   to the motion, as amended: Omit all text in paragraph (3)(d), substitute: “(d) establish a new accountability indicator for the average vacancy time for public housing properties requiring maintenance or upgrades, with a target of 90 days or less; and”.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

5. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.

   Final agreed wording, with changes marked

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the proportion of public housing in the ACT has declined from 12.2 percent in 1989 to 5.5 percent in 2026; (b) there were 3,652 approved applicants on the ACT’s public housing waitlist on 30 June 2026; (c) there were 588 vacant public housing dwellings in the ACT in August 2026, of which 285 required maintenance or upgrades to be tenantable; (d) properties awaiting maintenance or upgrades remained vacant for an average of 284 days as of June 2026; (e) the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2026 shows the proportion of ACT public housing in acceptable condition has decreased from 76 percent in 2023 to 71 percent in 2025, the second worst rate in the country; (f) Housing ACT’s accountability indicator sets a public housing occupancy target of 96 percent, which was not on track to be met in 2025-2026; and (g) despite Programmed being contracted to deliver Housing ACT maintenance, the Government piloted the insourcing of this maintenance for one year from July 2024; (2) further notes that: (a) this Assembly unanimously agreed that housing is a human right in 2025; (b) Mr Jonny Warren’s ‘20 Homes By Christmas’ campaign offers a rapid pathway to enable 20 of the ACT’s vacant public housing properties to be occupied by Christmas; (c) this would be achieved through pro bono industry-supplied labour and materials to renovate properties selected by the Government; (d) the donated labour and supplies would satisfy all mandated minimum qualification, insurance, quality and industry standards; (e) ACT Shelter, Housing All Australians and over 200 local tradespeople have indicated their support for the project and volunteered to help; (f) 2024 ACT Australian of the Year and ACT Chair of Housing All Australians, Ms Jo Farrell, has obtained a Secure Local Jobs Code certificate as requested by the Government and will provide project managers for the initiative; (g) Mr Warren hopes the campaign can be piloted and ultimately scaled up to 100 homes next year; and (h) the outpouring of support for this proposal shows there is significant community concern regarding the shortage of public housing available for vulnerable Canberrans and the rise in homelessness across the ACT; (3) further notes: (a) the ACT Government has an existing contractual arrangement with Programmed Facilities Management (Programmed) as the public housing facilities manager; (b) ‘vacancy time’ refers to the period a property does not have an active tenancy; (c) following a tenancy ending, Housing ACT will determine how the property will be used in the future and, together with Programmed, identify any repairs and maintenance to be undertaken; (d) repairs and maintenance works range from cleaning to structural repairs and can include insurance works; (e) as at 30 June 2026, the 285 vacant properties cited in this motion were going through a maintenance or upgrade process as follows: (i) 79 required routine maintenance; (ii) 80 required single upgrades; (iii) 69 required multiple upgrades; and (iv) 57 required major works or insurance repairs; (f) performance against key indicators under the Total Facilities Management Contract for Quarter 4 2025-26 are showing that vacant properties are being returned from Programmed to Housing ACT at an average of: (i) 8 days for routine works; (ii) 25 days for single upgrades; and (iii) 36 days for multiple upgrades; (g) as noted in QTON No 214, the average vacancy time of 284 days for the 285 properties in the ‘maintenance or upgrade’ category at 30 June 2026 is skewed by properties requiring extensive works or are in the insurance path and it does not reflect how long properties are with Programmed for repairs and maintenance; (h) upon completion of repairs and maintenance the property is offered to tenants by Housing ACT and in line with statutory obligations; (i) the average period for allocation of property to a tenant is highly variable; (j) while the 20 Homes proposal is being offered at no cost, the underlying procurement principles remain relevant, including value for money, transparency of decision-making, appropriate process, fair and equitable treatment of prospective suppliers, risk management, probity and ethical conduct; (k) in addition to providing public housing, the ACT Government supports the pathway out of homelessness through specialised programs with wrap around· services and supports coordinated by community housing providers and community sector organisations; and (l) community providers of homelessness crisis accommodation and wrap around services have indicated they would be interested in connecting with the 20 Homes organisers to potentially partner with them on an initiative such as that being proposed; and (4) calls on the Government to: (a) subject to all relevant statutory obligations being met, including tenant privacy requirements and probity obligations, and to Mr Warren and his team entering into appropriate contractual arrangements with the ACT Government’s public housing facilities manager, Programmed Facilities ManagementOrr; (b) allocate 20 suitable properties for this initiative; (c) work with Mr Warren and his team to ensure approvals are processed expeditiously to enable the maintenance and upgrade works to be carried out in time for the properties to be tenanted by 25 December 2026; (d) evaluate the success of the initiative by the end of March 2027 and report back to the Assembly on outcomes from the evaluation by the end of May 2027; (e) establish a new accountability indicator for the average vacancy time for public housing properties requiring maintenance or upgrades, with a target of 90 days or less; and (f) revise Housing ACT’s accountability indicator for public housing occupancy to at least 98 percent.

   Original and final wording compared

   taken out put in

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the proportion of public housing in the ACT has declined from 12.2 percent in 1989 to 5.5 percent in 2026; (b) there were 3,652 approved applicants on the ACT’s public housing waitlist on 30 June 2026; (c) there were 588 vacant public housing dwellings in the ACT in August 2026, of which 285 required maintenance or upgrades to be tenantable; (d) properties awaiting maintenance or upgrades remained vacant for an average of 284 days as of June 2026; (e) the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2026 shows the proportion of ACT public housing in acceptable condition has decreased from 76 percent in 2023 to 71 percent in 2025, the second worst rate in the country; (f) Housing ACT’s accountability indicator sets a public housing occupancy target of 96 percent, which was not on track to be met in 2025-2026; and (g) despite Programmed being contracted to deliver Housing ACT maintenance, the Government piloted the insourcing of this maintenance for one year from July 2024; (2) further notes that: (a) this Assembly unanimously agreed that housing is a human right in 2025; (b) Mr Jonny Warren’s ‘20 Homes By Christmas’ campaign offers a rapid pathway to enable 20 of the ACT’s vacant public housing properties to be occupied by Christmas; (c) this would be achieved through pro bono industry-supplied labour and materials to renovate properties selected by the Government; (d) the donated labour and supplies would satisfy all mandated minimum qualification, insurance, quality and industry standards; (e) ACT Shelter, Housing All Australians and over 200 local tradespeople have indicated their support for the project and volunteered to help; (f) 2024 ACT Australian of the Year and ACT Chair of Housing All Australians, Ms Jo Farrell, has obtained a Secure Local Jobs Code certificate as requested by the Government and will provide project managers for the initiative; (g) Mr Warren hopes the campaign can be piloted and ultimately scaled up to 100 homes next year; and (h) the outpouring of support for this proposal shows there is significant community concern regarding the shortage of public housing available for vulnerable Canberrans and the rise in homelessness across the ACT; [taken out: and](3) [put in: further notes: (a) the ACT Government has an existing contractual arrangement with Programmed Facilities Management (Programmed) as the public housing facilities manager; (b) ‘vacancy time’ refers to the period a property does not have an active tenancy; (c) following a tenancy ending, Housing ACT will determine how the property will be used in the future and, together with Programmed, identify any repairs and maintenance to be undertaken; (d) repairs and maintenance works range from cleaning to structural repairs and can include insurance works; (e) as at 30 June 2026, the 285 vacant properties cited in this motion were going through a maintenance or upgrade process as follows: (i) 79 required routine maintenance; (ii) 80 required single upgrades; (iii) 69 required multiple upgrades; and (iv) 57 required major works or insurance repairs; (f) performance against key indicators under the Total Facilities Management Contract for Quarter 4 2025-26 are showing that vacant properties are being returned from Programmed to Housing ACT at an average of: (i) 8 days for routine works; (ii) 25 days for single upgrades; and (iii) 36 days for multiple upgrades; (g) as noted in QTON No 214, the average vacancy time of 284 days for the 285 properties in the ‘maintenance or upgrade’ category at 30 June 2026 is skewed by properties requiring extensive works or are in the insurance path and it does not reflect how long properties are with Programmed for repairs and maintenance; (h) upon completion of repairs and maintenance the property is offered to tenants by Housing ACT and in line with statutory obligations; (i) the average period for allocation of property to a tenant is highly variable; (j) while the 20 Homes proposal is being offered at no cost, the underlying procurement principles remain relevant, including value for money, transparency of decision-making, appropriate process, fair and equitable treatment of prospective suppliers, risk management, probity and ethical conduct; (k) in addition to providing public housing, the ACT Government supports the pathway out of homelessness through specialised programs with wrap around· services and supports coordinated by community housing providers and community sector organisations; and (l) community providers of homelessness crisis accommodation and wrap around services have indicated they would be interested in connecting with the 20 Homes organisers to potentially partner with them on an initiative such as that being proposed; and (4)]calls on the Government to: (a) [put in: subject to all relevant statutory obligations being met, including tenant privacy requirements and probity obligations, and to Mr Warren and his team entering into appropriate contractual arrangements with the ACT Government’s public housing facilities manager, Programmed Facilities Management; (b)]allocate 20 suitable properties for this initiative; [taken out: to commence by the end of September 2026; (b)][put in: (c)]work with Mr Warren and his team to ensure approvals are processed expeditiously to enable the maintenance and upgrade works to be carried out in time for the properties to be tenanted by 25 December 2026; [taken out: (c)][put in: (d)]evaluate the success of the initiative by the end of March 2027 and report back to the Assembly on outcomes from the evaluation by the end of May 2027; [taken out: (d) commit to reducing][put in: (e) establish a new accountability indicator for]the average vacancy time for [put in: public housing]properties requiring maintenance or upgrades, [taken out: to no greater than][put in: with a target of]90 days [put in: or less;]and [taken out: (e)][put in: (f)]revise Housing ACT’s accountability indicator for public housing occupancy to at least 98 percent.

   Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.