'I was in tears': Living without a heater through Canberra's winter

In the depths of winter in Canberra, when the temperature often dips below freezing, most locals rely on their heaters to keep their homes warm.But for Barbara Belmonte, her split system air-conditioning unit has been out of action for much of the season."I haven't had adequate and sustainable heating in this house since the 9th of June," she said."This has started to wear me down so much that I was in tears a few weeks ago."Ms Belmonte, who is a public housing tenant, notified Housing ACT of the issue, and several contractors have attended her inner-north home in the weeks since.In the meantime, Housing ACT has lent her a small bar heater.The Canberra Liberals say Ms Belmonte is not alone. (ABC News: Bonnie Mycroft)She has been told the unit needs a new part, which is still three to five weeks away."That's going to take me through to the end of August, that's the end of winter," she said."In the meantime, what do I do? I am chewing up this huge electricity bill with little fan heaters."I can't see how or why anything should take that long to be fixed."'It's a necessity'The capital's freezing temperatures, including -4.9C on Monday and -5.8C on Sunday, have become so unbearable that Ms Belmonte has decided to temporarily relocate to Queensland to stay with her son."Heating in Canberra is not a luxury, it's a necessity," she said.Barbara Belmonte has to use this small heater to warm up her home while she waits for repairs. (ABC News: Bonnie Mycroft)But Ms Belmonte's experience is not isolated, according to Canberra Liberals MLA Chiaka Barry.Ms Barry said her office has received several calls from public housing tenants and their families, pleading for action on broken heating."For every decision we make in the public housing space, there are human beings behind that decision," Ms Barry said."Canberrans are right to be outraged about the state of public housing here in the ACT."Ms Barry said a safety policy requiring two housing staff members to attend properties instead of one, has resulted in a reduction in client visits and issues being missed."The government is not planning maintenance properly and is not identifying issues before they become significant," she said.Chiaka Barry says heating in ACT public housing is an issue that needs urgent action. (ABC News: Bonnie Mycroft)In March, a scathing ACT Ombudsman's report found the territory government had not satisfied its legal obligations as a landlord.The Ombudsman found Housing ACT often took a long time to fully complete required repairs, including when immediate safety hazards were identified.The report made eight recommendations in regard to fixing processes to get things done more quickly and with improved transparency, which the government agreed to.ACT government 'committed to working with tenants'In a statement, an ACT government spokesperson said heating repairs are classified as "priority repairs", meaning a technician will attend before 6pm on the following day."In some cases repairs aren't able to be fixed on the first visit and may require follow-up visits or spare parts which can take some time to arrive," the spokesperson said."In all instances where heating is found not to be working and a repair cannot be completed in the short term, portable heaters are offered and provided within 24 hours."ACT public housing resident Barbara Belmonte's air-conditioning unit has been broken all winter. (ABC News: Bonnie Mycroft)The spokesperson said the government acknowledges and shares tenants frustration in delays to repairs particularly with regards to warranty matters."The ACT government is committed to working with tenants to ensure appropriate interim solutions are in place to support their safety and wellbeing while repairs are arranged," the spokesperson said."We will continue to work with maintenance providers — and manufacturers in cases where product warranty applies — to ensure repairs are responded to as quickly as possible and tenants are appropriately supported throughout the process."