Hon. Tim Clifford asks about housing affordability in WA, referencing a recent report and proposing rent relief and measures to help homebuyers compete with investors. The parliamentary secretary responds with existing government initiatives.

AnsweredQoN 326Legislative Assembly
Asked
17 June 2025
Portfolio
Housing and Works

QuestionView source ↗

Housing—Affordability326.Hon Tim Cliffordto
theparliamentary secretary representing the Minister
for Housing and Works:(1) Has the minister read the recent report from
the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and the Australian Housing Urban and
Research Institute, titledHousing Affordability
in Western Australia 2025?(2) Given that the report paints a very grim
picture regarding rental affordability in this state, is the government giving
any consideration to broad-based rent relief measures beyond bond assistance
and one-off payments, such as an indexed rent cap like the one in the ACT?(3) Given that the report also shows how hard it
is for homebuyers, and acknowledging that the government has made efforts to
increase supply, is the government considering measures beyond increasing the
supply, by which I mean measures to make it easier for homebuyers to compete
with investors for existing homes?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
17 June 2025
Response time
0 days
Hon Dr Katrina Stratton replied:I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question. I provide the following
response on behalf of the Minister for Housing and Works.(1)–(3) The minister remains regularly
briefed on trends in the Western Australian housing market. The Cook Labor
government has extended the Rent Relief Program, which has delivered over $11 million
in rent relief to more than 2,700 households since November 2023. The state
government has also announced a range of measures this week to support renters
and homebuyers, including a $210 million shared equity scheme, which will
deliver 1,000 shared equity loans for apartments and townhouses.
Housing—Affordability

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