Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison has welcomed the NSW Government's latest backflip which will ensure all social housing tenants across the state will be eligible for the NSW Washing Machine Replacement Trial.
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The NSW Government announced the trial for 43 eligible Local Government Areas (LGAs) in April 2022 which only applied to people living in homes owned and managed by "NSW Land and Housing Corporation or the Aboriginal Housing Office."
Maitland LGA was not included in the list.
Member for Maitland Ms Aitchison lobbied the NSW Government for her constituents living in homes operated by Community Housing Providers to be included in the trial, writing to the Minister for Lands and Water and delivering a Notice of Motion in the NSW Parliament.
"Social housing tenants living in the Maitland electorate were unfairly excluded from the initial trial simply by a stroke of the Minister's pen."
"It's just another example of the Government failing to properly target cost of living assistance to those who most need it."
Ms Aitchison noticed that the NSW Government's website had been updated to expand the pilot program to include all social housing properties in all LGAs across NSW, with the closing date extended until 30 September 2022.
Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison said this was a cost of living win for social housing tenants living in the Maitland electorate.
"I am very pleased that my advocacy has assisted social housing tenants in Maitland, and indeed across NSW, to access the trial. The community is sick of the Government's rorts and deals which don't target the help to people who need it."
"Everyone in social housing deserves to have the same access to the pilot program regardless of who is managing their tenancy, or which LGA they live in. The Government's arbitrary exclusion of Community Housing Providers, and many of the state's LGAs meant that few, if any, of the social housing tenants living in social housing were eligible for the cost of living assistance afforded by the program."
"People in the Maitland electorate should have had access to the trial from day one."
The Washing Machine Replacement Trial will assist social housing tenants across the state replace their inefficient top load washing machine with a new front-load washing machine to boost water efficiency and reduce the cost of living.
