Qld: Funding for public housing rising, says Vanstone

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Qld: Funding for public housing rising, says Vanstone

BRISBANE, Aug 21 AAP - Federal Housing Minister Amanda Vanstone has rejected claimsfollowing a Brisbane boarding house fire that declining commonwealth funding had contributedto substandard public housing in Queensland.

Three men were killed in the blaze earlier this week.

The old timber building in the bayside suburb of Sandgate had been criticised as substandardand a "fire trap" despite passing Brisbane City Council inspections.

Queensland Families Minister Judy Spence yesterday said part of the problem lay ina decline in federal funding for public housing over the past five years.

"We are talking about millions of dollars in reduced federal funding and it makes itvery difficult for us to continue building public housing in this state when we see thatwithdrawal of funds from the commonwealth," Ms Spence said.

The federal government was putting more money into subsidising private rentals at theexpense of funding for building public housing, she said.

"We have to use our own means now to build new public housing and we haven't got thosepublic dollars that we once relied upon," Ms Spence said.

But Senator Vanstone said Ms Spence was simply trying to "pass the buck" on buildingpublic housing.

The commonwealth had actually increased funding for public housing but did not wantto favour funding for either the public or the private sectors, she said.

"If you are in the lower income sector and need help, we should be offering both typesof help," Senator Vanstone told ABC Radio today.

Federal funding for low-income housing had risen 38 per cent since 1997/1998, but theQueensland government's contribution to that sector had fallen by 10 per cent, she said.

The federal government now preferred to put more money directly into the hands of lowincome people so they could choose where they could live, especially if it would helpthem find and keep jobs.

"It is correct to say we are shifting the balance of our money into what we think isa better mix," Senator Vanstone said.

AAP rad/sc/las/de

KEYWORD: BOARDING VANSTONE