❓ The Minister for Planning outlines how the $80 million Infrastructure Development Fund will boost housing for key workers in the regions, detailing allocations for infill/density and regional workers' accommodation, and criticising the opposition's housing policies.
AnsweredQoN 673Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND
673. Ms A.E. KENT to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
$80 million infrastructure development fund established to build a new pipeline
of housing across the state. Can the minister outline to the house how this
fund will deliver a major boost to housing for key workers in the regions?
673. Ms A.E. KENT to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
$80 million infrastructure development fund established to build a new pipeline
of housing across the state. Can the minister outline to the house how this
fund will deliver a major boost to housing for key workers in the regions?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question
and acknowledge her advocacy and her win for her community. I had the pleasure
to be in Kalgoorlie on Monday with the local member and the mayor to announce a
regional grant as part of our infrastructure headworks fund. As people would be
aware, our government is using every lever it can to boost housing stock across Western Australia. That is both social
housing and general housing across the continuum but also density,
infill and regional workers' accommodation. Of that $80 million, we
have provided $40 million for infill and
density, and an additional $40 million for regional workers'
accommodation, recognising that the state has a role to play in this heated construction market to increase
density and get up regional workers' accommodation . We have
accordingly already allocated significant grants to support up to 900 density
developments.
On Monday, we announced major grants
for regional Western Australia. I am very pleased to say that we have announced
the first round of grants for regional workers' accommodation. This
includes a grant to provide 91 dwellings at lot 3130 Sanctuary Road, Cable
Beach of $7.6 million; a grant to the Shire of Shark Bay to provide five
dwellings at $187 000 in Denham; and, course, a grant to provide the headworks
funding for sewerage works to support up to 400 dwellings in Kalgoorlie of $4 million.
I want to acknowledge the City of
Kalgoorlie–Boulder. It really has changed course. I also want to
acknowledge the Kalgoorlie–Boulder
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which also helped to advocate and facilitate
for this type of development, and of course, I acknowledge the local
member. All of this is about understanding the simple proposition that we need
all tiers of government working together—the federal government with
its Housing Australia Future Fund; the state government with a range of levers
such as planning reform and the infrastructure headworks fund; and local
government, which is able to identify landholdings that can support regional workers'
accommodation. That is what we are seeing in Kalgoorlie.
I note that this agenda is very
clear to our side. We understand that we have to be flexible and use all the
different opportunities. When one does not work, we swap to another. There is
nothing embarrassing about that. We understanding
that we need that flexibility. I contrast this approach with the Liberal and
National Parties. To date, they have no housing or social housing
policy. However, they do have planning reforms, and the Liberal and National
Parties are committing to more red tape. Every state in this country—yesterday
it was Victoria—has announced planning reforms to boost and accelerate
housing supply. Yet the shadow minister for everything, the member for Cottesloe, who speaks on every
portfolio, has committed on behalf of the opposition to oppose significant pathways, which will block major housing development approvals in Western Australia.
I want Western Australians to be
very clear at the next election that this side is about accelerating the
delivery of housing across the continuum. That side is about imposing more red
tape and hurdles and increasing costs for housing in Western Australia.
and acknowledge her advocacy and her win for her community. I had the pleasure
to be in Kalgoorlie on Monday with the local member and the mayor to announce a
regional grant as part of our infrastructure headworks fund. As people would be
aware, our government is using every lever it can to boost housing stock across Western Australia. That is both social
housing and general housing across the continuum but also density,
infill and regional workers' accommodation. Of that $80 million, we
have provided $40 million for infill and
density, and an additional $40 million for regional workers'
accommodation, recognising that the state has a role to play in this heated construction market to increase
density and get up regional workers' accommodation . We have
accordingly already allocated significant grants to support up to 900 density
developments.
On Monday, we announced major grants
for regional Western Australia. I am very pleased to say that we have announced
the first round of grants for regional workers' accommodation. This
includes a grant to provide 91 dwellings at lot 3130 Sanctuary Road, Cable
Beach of $7.6 million; a grant to the Shire of Shark Bay to provide five
dwellings at $187 000 in Denham; and, course, a grant to provide the headworks
funding for sewerage works to support up to 400 dwellings in Kalgoorlie of $4 million.
I want to acknowledge the City of
Kalgoorlie–Boulder. It really has changed course. I also want to
acknowledge the Kalgoorlie–Boulder
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which also helped to advocate and facilitate
for this type of development, and of course, I acknowledge the local
member. All of this is about understanding the simple proposition that we need
all tiers of government working together—the federal government with
its Housing Australia Future Fund; the state government with a range of levers
such as planning reform and the infrastructure headworks fund; and local
government, which is able to identify landholdings that can support regional workers'
accommodation. That is what we are seeing in Kalgoorlie.
I note that this agenda is very
clear to our side. We understand that we have to be flexible and use all the
different opportunities. When one does not work, we swap to another. There is
nothing embarrassing about that. We understanding
that we need that flexibility. I contrast this approach with the Liberal and
National Parties. To date, they have no housing or social housing
policy. However, they do have planning reforms, and the Liberal and National
Parties are committing to more red tape. Every state in this country—yesterday
it was Victoria—has announced planning reforms to boost and accelerate
housing supply. Yet the shadow minister for everything, the member for Cottesloe, who speaks on every
portfolio, has committed on behalf of the opposition to oppose significant pathways, which will block major housing development approvals in Western Australia.
I want Western Australians to be
very clear at the next election that this side is about accelerating the
delivery of housing across the continuum. That side is about imposing more red
tape and hurdles and increasing costs for housing in Western Australia.
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