❓ Ms. Mitchell asks about innovative approaches to affordable housing for low to moderate income earners. Mr. Buswell responds by outlining the government's new affordable housing strategy, highlighting its key components and positive reception from various sectors, while criticizing the opposition's past performance.
AnsweredQoN 275Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
AFFORDABLE HOUSING STRATEGY
I am very pleased that this government is helping people realise the dream of homeownership. Can the minister please update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have given you two formal calls already today. I suggest to you, if you want to stay in this place—I want you to stay in this place—that you might observe a bit more protocol and not interrupt people while they are asking questions. Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL
I am very pleased that this government is helping people realise the dream of homeownership. Can the minister please update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have given you two formal calls already today. I suggest to you, if you want to stay in this place—I want you to stay in this place—that you might observe a bit more protocol and not interrupt people while they are asking questions. Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have given you two formal calls already today. I suggest to you, if you want to stay in this place—I want you to stay in this place—that you might observe a bit more protocol and not interrupt people while they are asking questions. Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have given you two formal calls already today. I suggest to you, if you want to stay in this place—I want you to stay in this place—that you might observe a bit more protocol and not interrupt people while they are asking questions. Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have given you two formal calls already today. I suggest to you, if you want to stay in this place—I want you to stay in this place—that you might observe a bit more protocol and not interrupt people while they are asking questions. Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have given you two formal calls already today. I suggest to you, if you want to stay in this place—I want you to stay in this place—that you might observe a bit more protocol and not interrupt people while they are asking questions. Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
Ms A.R. MITCHELL : Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will come back to the minister and ask him to update the house on what innovative approaches the government is taking to provide greater opportunities for low to moderate income earners to access affordable housing. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
I thank the member for the question. Last week we launched the state’s affordable housing strategy at Burswood. I have to say that there was a very large crowd there from the property sector. I thought it was because of the quality of the presenter, and they informed me that the property sector is very quiet and they did not have much to do. Anyway, we soldiered on. The affordable housing strategy basically does a couple of things. I think it is important to understand, firstly, that it signals a fundamental shift in the way that the government approaches housing, with a shift away from a narrow focus on delivering social housing to the broader challenge of affordable housing, because if we cannot solve the affordable housing challenge, we will never meet the pressures on our social housing system. Secondly, it has committed the government to ongoing and expansive engagement with both the private sector and the community, or the not-for-profit, sector in delivering housing outcomes. Four key components of the housing strategy will help us deliver our aspirational target of 20 000 affordable dwellings by 2020. They are, firstly, increased, flexible engagement with the private sector; secondly, ongoing development of the community housing sector or the not-for-profit sector; thirdly, more endeavours to encourage more private rental accommodation into the market; and, finally, a focus on delivering entry-point affordability. That revolves around land supply, demand support through programs such as Keystart, and alternative equity models. Members will see more announcements by us about that in coming weeks. I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
I was pleased to see the broad support offered across the housing sector in Western Australia for this proposal. Our good friends at the Western Australian Council of Social Service, a former haunt of the member for Maylands, said — “We’re pleased with the long-term and collaborative nature of the initiatives,’ said Ms Cattalini, “A genuine approach to housing affordability involves cooperation between all agents in civil society—the three tiers of government, the private and community sectors.” That is a very, very good observation and a great endorsement of the government’s policy. The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, an industry group, said — “The government is right to recognise the role of the private sector in finding solutions to a complex problem,” … And on and on. Master Builders Western Australia came out and lauded the strategy. Shelter WA said that it was a giant leap forward. Anglicare said that the biggest strength of the strategy was that it looked at housing as a continuum across homelessness, social housing, private rentals and homeownership. As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
As I scanned the media reports of the day, there was only one lonely voice in Western Australia that spoke out against that wonderful document, one lonely voice batting from a position of almost no credibility when it comes to housing, and it was—hold on; it is right down at the bottom here, the last two sentences—the shadow housing minister, Mark McGowan, who said that the strategy was short on detail and did not tackle housing affordability. I find that sort of criticism astounding from a member of a party that, when in power, did not do three things in housing. Firstly, in 2001 it promised to deliver an affordable housing strategy; it never happened. Secondly, between 2004 and 2006, under the careful guidance of the Campbell Newman of Western Australian politics, Alannah MacTiernan, we ran out of land in Western Australia, and that saw the median house price go up from $260 000 to $460 000 in two years. That was the former government’s legacy on housing the people of Western Australia. Finally, in eight years, the former government managed to add 203 houses every year to the social housing stock. We have commenced building 3 500 homes in the past two years. It would have taken those opposite 20 years to deliver that level of housing. I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
I thought I had seen the back of the member for Rockingham. However, on Friday while I was in my electorate office attending to duties, he must have missed the turn off on the freeway and ended up in Bunbury. He called a media conference to discuss an outrageous situation that had emerged in the South West, firstly, because the government had not invested enough money in social housing; and, secondly, because there was a disgraceful—I think that was the word used on the television—situation in which there were 66 vacant Homeswest properties in the South West. The journalists scurried over to Busselton with their cameramen in tow, and we met down at the foreshore. They said, “The member for Rockingham said this is disgraceful.” I said, “Did you ask him what the level of vacant housing was under Labor?” They said no. I said that perhaps they should have, because in 2007 there were 69 vacant properties, and in 2008 there were 87 vacant properties, so there are fewer vacant properties under our government with a bigger base of housing, and the member for Rockingham criticises us for it. Secondly—this is the best one—they told me that the member for Rockingham said that we have not been investing enough money in social housing in the South West. They told me that he said, “That guy needs to drive around the South West and have a look.” I know a bit about the South West, member for Rockingham. Does the member know how many additional houses his government put into the social housing stock in the South West in eight years? How many was it in eight years? It was 57 in eight years. Does the member know how many we have built in the past two years? It is 327. So our record in the South West is good. The next time the member comes to the South West, the journalists might ask him for his source documents. It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
It is a bit like when he bumped on about NRAS—the national rental affordability scheme. He refused to produce his source documents and was caught out as telling a little bit of a fib—just a little bit. So the next time the member for Rockingham comes down to the South West, he should get his facts straight, because the government’s record in the South West is excellent; the government’s record in Western Australia is excellent. Last week our policy was applauded by everybody in Western Australia involved with housing except the member for Rockingham. I think that says more about the member’s approach to housing than it does about the government’s.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.