Nats’ Housing Corp. plan called disaster recipe

Press, 13 December 1985, Page 24

Nats’ Housing Corp. plan called disaster recipe

PA Wellington National Party plans for private ownership of the Housing Corporation are a recipe for social disaster, says the Minister of Housing, Mr Goff. The Opposition finance spokesman, Mr Bill Birch, recently nominated the Housing Corporation as an early candidate for privatisation, whereby the Government would withdraw services and allow the private sector to move in.

Except for a few as yet unnamed corporation functions which might not be appropriate to pass to the private sector, the Govern-

ment should have little to do with the mechanics of raising money for •housing, Mr Birch said.

But Mr Goff, opening a housing complex in Napier, said he had been appalled at Mr Birch’s comments. “That is a recipe for social disaster which I believe will be rejected by the wider comnmuhity,” he said. More than 250,000 families had benefited from some form of assistance from the State to meet their housing needs. They would not wish to deny others the same- opportunity of help when they needed it. Stata housing had begun because? the private sector

could not meet all the needs of all in the community by itself. The State had a responsibility to help those who through their own efforts could not get access to decent housing at a reasonable cost, Mr Goff said. The consequences of a society’s not meeting that responsibility were all too obvious overseas, he said. Poor housing was an important cause of poor health, unequal education opportunities, family stress, alienated young people, Md a breakdown in social order.