❓ The question asks the Minister for Housing and Works to detail the government's strategies for unlocking land to increase housing supply and compare WA's success to other states. The Minister responds by outlining significant investments and initiatives, while also criticising the opposition's lack of housing policy.
AnsweredQoN 346Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Housing supply
346. Mr David Scaife to
the Minister for Housing and Works:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring that every Western Australian has a
home. Can the minister outline to the house how this government is unlocking
land across the state to accelerate and enable more housing supply, and can the
minister advise the house how WA's success compares to the rest of the nation?
346. Mr David Scaife to
the Minister for Housing and Works:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring that every Western Australian has a
home. Can the minister outline to the house how this government is unlocking
land across the state to accelerate and enable more housing supply, and can the
minister advise the house how WA's success compares to the rest of the nation?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for his question. As we know, our government is strongly committed to enabling
every Western Australian to have a secure home. In the last budget, that
reflected our ongoing commitment with a record investment of $4.7 billion
taking our total spend since 2021 to $10.8 billion. Of course, we are
about unlocking that land and utilising funding for infrastructure to unlock
more housing construction. Only this week, I announced with the Deputy Premier
the next round of $8 million in funding to support the construction of 800
new dwellings as part of our infrastructure development fund. These apartment
dwellings are in areas including the Town of Cambridge and the Cities of
Belmont, Gosnells, Joondalup, Nedlands, Melville, Rockingham, South Perth, Stirling
and Vincent, and also include social and affordable housing developments in
Redcliffe and Stirling.
Since we have
created this fund, we are supporting thousands of apartments to be delivered.
That demonstrates that we are prepared to intervene in the market to get
projects off the ground. Of course, in the last budget we also made new
commitments—$694 million to DevelopmentWA to develop residential land and
Metronet station precincts, and more than half a billion dollars for water and
power infrastructure to unlock up to 83,000 lots. We have a very clear agenda
and clear and strong investment. I compare that to the opposition. I find it
quite confusing that a Liberal opposition that claims it is worried about
housing had an opportunity in the Liberal leader's speech this week to say
something about it and to announce some policy. What was there? Why did the
Liberal leader not make any announcements or policy directions on housing?
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Member! Leader of the Opposition!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, please do not
interject.
Mr John Carey: What is very clear is we have a Liberal
leader who is a policy-free zone. He does not know whether he is a political
aspirant or wants to be an Instagram influencer. That is the truth. When he
looks at issues, he does not think, "How do I solve this problem?" He
goes, "How do I film this as a reel?" I have seen influencers give
more detailed plans for a weekend getaway—
Several members
interjected.
Mr John Carey: I have seen influencers give more
detail for a weekend getaway than the housing commitments from the Liberal
leader!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: This is a Liberal leader who is all
about—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Mr John Carey: I am really getting under his skin.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, thank you.
Mrs Jessica Stojkovski: He's a bit touchy!
Mr John Carey: Very, yes. The Liberal leader—he just
breaks. He really tries to hold it in. Cam Sinclair says "Don't react to
them." He just loses his cool and it vomits out into the chamber. The
point is this: he does not know what he wants to be.
Mr Basil Zempilas: Do you know where Yanchep
is?
The Speaker: Member!
Mr Basil Zempilas: Do you know where Yanchep
is?
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Leader of the Opposition, thank
you.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Everyone! Members! Have we got it out of
our system now? Very good. Minister, please continue.
Mr John Carey: I will take that interjection. We know
where Yanchep is because we built the train station. We built the line, unlike the
Leader of the Opposition and the Liberals, who said it was not needed and there
was not a population there. But behold his Instagram, because, again, does the
Liberal leader have a conviction policy with actual policies around housing or
transport, or do we have a Liberal leader who is so focused on the next reel
and the next Instagram that it is all about the reel and the content?
Mr Basil Zempilas: Where is your announcement?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: It is all about—
Mr Basil Zempilas: Where is yours?
The Speaker: Members! The minister is trying to
conclude his comments. Please do not interject.
Mr John Carey: I mean, I am having fun with this. It
gets under his skin because he knows it is true. Everyone in this chamber knows
it is true. Ultimately, we know—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members.
Mr John Carey: Ultimately we know that you will not
last the time and that the member for Kalamunda will replace you, because
everyone knows that you drag down the Liberal vote, and it is because you have
no content and no policies. You are just about reels and the 'gram.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Thank you, minister. Members! We probably
need to apologise to Hansard. Sorry about all of that carry on.
for his question. As we know, our government is strongly committed to enabling
every Western Australian to have a secure home. In the last budget, that
reflected our ongoing commitment with a record investment of $4.7 billion
taking our total spend since 2021 to $10.8 billion. Of course, we are
about unlocking that land and utilising funding for infrastructure to unlock
more housing construction. Only this week, I announced with the Deputy Premier
the next round of $8 million in funding to support the construction of 800
new dwellings as part of our infrastructure development fund. These apartment
dwellings are in areas including the Town of Cambridge and the Cities of
Belmont, Gosnells, Joondalup, Nedlands, Melville, Rockingham, South Perth, Stirling
and Vincent, and also include social and affordable housing developments in
Redcliffe and Stirling.
Since we have
created this fund, we are supporting thousands of apartments to be delivered.
That demonstrates that we are prepared to intervene in the market to get
projects off the ground. Of course, in the last budget we also made new
commitments—$694 million to DevelopmentWA to develop residential land and
Metronet station precincts, and more than half a billion dollars for water and
power infrastructure to unlock up to 83,000 lots. We have a very clear agenda
and clear and strong investment. I compare that to the opposition. I find it
quite confusing that a Liberal opposition that claims it is worried about
housing had an opportunity in the Liberal leader's speech this week to say
something about it and to announce some policy. What was there? Why did the
Liberal leader not make any announcements or policy directions on housing?
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Member! Leader of the Opposition!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, please do not
interject.
Mr John Carey: What is very clear is we have a Liberal
leader who is a policy-free zone. He does not know whether he is a political
aspirant or wants to be an Instagram influencer. That is the truth. When he
looks at issues, he does not think, "How do I solve this problem?" He
goes, "How do I film this as a reel?" I have seen influencers give
more detailed plans for a weekend getaway—
Several members
interjected.
Mr John Carey: I have seen influencers give more
detail for a weekend getaway than the housing commitments from the Liberal
leader!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: This is a Liberal leader who is all
about—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Mr John Carey: I am really getting under his skin.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, thank you.
Mrs Jessica Stojkovski: He's a bit touchy!
Mr John Carey: Very, yes. The Liberal leader—he just
breaks. He really tries to hold it in. Cam Sinclair says "Don't react to
them." He just loses his cool and it vomits out into the chamber. The
point is this: he does not know what he wants to be.
Mr Basil Zempilas: Do you know where Yanchep
is?
The Speaker: Member!
Mr Basil Zempilas: Do you know where Yanchep
is?
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Leader of the Opposition, thank
you.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Everyone! Members! Have we got it out of
our system now? Very good. Minister, please continue.
Mr John Carey: I will take that interjection. We know
where Yanchep is because we built the train station. We built the line, unlike the
Leader of the Opposition and the Liberals, who said it was not needed and there
was not a population there. But behold his Instagram, because, again, does the
Liberal leader have a conviction policy with actual policies around housing or
transport, or do we have a Liberal leader who is so focused on the next reel
and the next Instagram that it is all about the reel and the content?
Mr Basil Zempilas: Where is your announcement?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: It is all about—
Mr Basil Zempilas: Where is yours?
The Speaker: Members! The minister is trying to
conclude his comments. Please do not interject.
Mr John Carey: I mean, I am having fun with this. It
gets under his skin because he knows it is true. Everyone in this chamber knows
it is true. Ultimately, we know—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members.
Mr John Carey: Ultimately we know that you will not
last the time and that the member for Kalamunda will replace you, because
everyone knows that you drag down the Liberal vote, and it is because you have
no content and no policies. You are just about reels and the 'gram.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Thank you, minister. Members! We probably
need to apologise to Hansard. Sorry about all of that carry on.
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