22 October 2004

Salvation Army welcomes home ownership move

The Salvation Army is applauding government steps to boost home ownership but says there is no single quick fix solution.

Major Campbell Roberts, national director of The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, said a mix of policies was needed to help low and middle income families into their own homes.

His comments follow news that the Government is looking at ways to help families into their own homes as part of next year’s Budget.

“It isn’t a matter of pulling one big lever to get people into home ownership. We need the right mix of policies to assist people. This means considering individual family circumstances and having available a range of mechanisms that will enable home ownership to be achieved.” Major Roberts said home ownership was a vital factor in helping people out of the poverty cycle.

“Research shows that people are best helped out of poverty through the creation of assets.”

Major Roberts urged the Government to consult closely with agencies such as The Salvation Army who are at the coalface in dealing with housing problems in lower income groups.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>