QUESTION: PUBLIC HOUSING (Mental Health)

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:11): Supplementary: some of these serial and very serious offenders who may be eligible for eviction could have serious mental health problems. Is there a strategy in place to ensure that they are not left on the street?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:11): Part of the problem with the previous policy not having a great deal of clarity is that it states in it that—it lists the range of different types—well, not even that specifically, but it lists a range of matters which can be considered what under the previous policy is called 'disruptive' rather than 'antisocial' and that may include where people park their cars. Now, for me personally, I don't think that is an appropriate reason to evict someone, so we are trying to make things clear in terms of what is and isn't antisocial behaviour through three separate ranges of behaviour identified in the policy.

We certainly do appreciate that there are people who are vulnerable and have matters that mean that they need assistance. For instance, hoarding, I think is probably a classic example of a potential indicator for people who have mental health challenges. So, if we are not having to manage those lesser matters, we can actually concentrate on assisting people to maintain their tenancy and, therefore, it is very much elevating matters where we think people have some challenges and they need assistance so that we can assist them to maintain their tenancy if they have, for instance, a mental health problem.