Dr. Pettitt questions the Minister for Housing regarding the number of vacant Government Regional Officers' Housing (GROH) properties, including those vacant for over two years. The Minister provides data on allocated and unallocated vacant properties, citing operational reasons and maintenance as factors.

AnsweredQoN 1304Legislative Council
Asked
23 October 2024
Portfolio
Housing

QuestionView source ↗

GOVERNMENT REGIONAL
OFFICERS' HOUSING PROGRAM
1304. Hon Dr BRAD PETTITT to the minister representing the
Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Government Regional
Officers' Housing program.
(1) How many GROH houses are
currently vacant?
(2) How many GROH houses have been
vacant for more than two years?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following response has been provided by the
Minister for Housing.
(1)–(2) The
utilisation of GROH properties allocated to client agencies is determined by
the client agency, not by the Department of Communities. Vacancy data is always
point-in-time data. When the properties are vacated, they undergo varying
degrees of maintenance or refurbishment works before the next tenant moves into
the property. As at 30 September 2024, 564 properties had been allocated to
client agencies that may be held vacant for a range of legitimate operational
reasons, such as rotating staff on fixed tenure arr angements; staff leave, including maternity leave; and active
recruitment processes. There are 93 properties unallocated vacant, the majority of which will be returned to service
following maintenance or refurbishment works. Communities assesses all
vacant properties and, where appropriate, properties that are not aligned with
GROH use—for example, in remote locations or in areas with low demand—may
be considered to be made available for clients on the public housing waitlist.
The total number of GROH houses vacant for more than 24 months is 43, including
homes in remote or low-demand locations.

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