❓ Dr. Honey questions the delay in the Bentley 360 project, four years after demolition. Minister Carey blames the previous government's 'mess,' COVID-19 impacts, and remediation complexities for the delays, while highlighting the government's broader housing efforts.
AnsweredQoN 759Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING — BENTLEY 360 PROJECT
759. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Housing:
I
refer to the Bentley 360 project on 22 hectares of public land and the
following statement on 18 June 2019 by former Minister for Housing the
member for Willagee in response to a question from the member for Forrestfield —
The Bentley 360 project is designed
to deliver at least 1 500 new homes only 15 minutes from where we sit right now. It is a critical piece of urban
infrastructure that can add to the thoughtful density that is required for this city. More importantly, it will create 2 200
jobs across its life and over $1 billion worth of economic activity
through its construction phase.
Point of Order
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Madam
Speaker, I draw your attention to standing order 77(1)(a), which states that
questions should not contain certain
things, which it then lists. The list includes preambles and, at the end,
quotations. It would appear that the entire question of the member for
Cottesloe is in fact a quotation. Therefore, it is not in accordance with the
standing orders.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Cottesloe is not the first person to use a quote when asking a question. I am
quite happy to have some discussion with the member for Cannington about the
formation of questions at a later stage if he would like. In this instance, I am
allowing the question to proceed.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr D.J. HONEY : Thank you very
much, Madam Speaker.
Why, four years after the
demolition of Brownlie Towers, is the government still only assessing the
project, with development time lines yet to be confirmed?
759. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Housing:
I
refer to the Bentley 360 project on 22 hectares of public land and the
following statement on 18 June 2019 by former Minister for Housing the
member for Willagee in response to a question from the member for Forrestfield —
The Bentley 360 project is designed
to deliver at least 1 500 new homes only 15 minutes from where we sit right now. It is a critical piece of urban
infrastructure that can add to the thoughtful density that is required for this city. More importantly, it will create 2 200
jobs across its life and over $1 billion worth of economic activity
through its construction phase.
Point of Order
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Madam
Speaker, I draw your attention to standing order 77(1)(a), which states that
questions should not contain certain
things, which it then lists. The list includes preambles and, at the end,
quotations. It would appear that the entire question of the member for
Cottesloe is in fact a quotation. Therefore, it is not in accordance with the
standing orders.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Cottesloe is not the first person to use a quote when asking a question. I am
quite happy to have some discussion with the member for Cannington about the
formation of questions at a later stage if he would like. In this instance, I am
allowing the question to proceed.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr D.J. HONEY : Thank you very
much, Madam Speaker.
Why, four years after the
demolition of Brownlie Towers, is the government still only assessing the
project, with development time lines yet to be confirmed?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for his question. First of all, I want to put on the public
record that we were left a mess in regard to that site by the former
Liberal–National government. That is well known. Press at the time
talked about a tower of 160 rooms that was left empty and vacant. It was your
former government that left us a mess with Bentley 360.
Dr D.J. Honey : It is four
years after you demolished it.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
The minister has been asked a question; I would like to hear the answer.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Something
also happened during that time, and that was the COVID-19 pandemic. As we know,
COVID radically reshaped the housing and construction market. I find it
interesting, but not surprising, that the member for Cottesloe, who regularly
outlines a conspiracy theory in this chamber that somehow this government just
wants density in his western suburbs, fails to understand the housing market.
Dr D.J. Honey : You haven't
built anything.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Member, can I
answer the question or will you be rude and continue to interject?
Dr D.J. Honey : I will
interject when I think it's appropriate.
Mr J.N. CAREY : My
observation about the member for Cottesloe is that he is the most arrogant
person in this chamber. He is always lecturing everyone else, including his own
colleagues. In fact, some of his colleagues have complained about his lectures.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members! Minister, we have an MPI to get onto, so I ask you to perhaps return
to answering the question that was asked.
Mr J.N. CAREY : The member
does not understand basic housing economics. In this post-COVID world, we are
seeing density developed in the western suburbs because that is where it is
still profitable to do that. That is where the construction sector has focused
its efforts. Everyone else in Western Australia understands that. Every other
industry understands that. The member for Cottesloe lives in an alternative
reality; his main focus is traffic in Cottesloe and not housing supply. I want
to be very clear: our state government is making a significant investment in social housing and homelessness. Because of the
rapid acceleration of cost and lack of capacity in this post-COVID world, we have focused on pumping out homes within a constrained market, and we
have done that. More than 1 600 social homes have been delivered to date. Now,
as the market starts to taper and there is more capacity in the system, we are working on those larger scale
projects. I anticipate that we will make some major announcements this
year about high-density affordable and social housing.
Bentley 360 is well known to be a more
complex site. Significant remediation work needs to be done at that site. That
work needs to be undertaken first. I appreciate that the opposition wants to
paint this as a simple policy issue, but it is far more complex than that. Western
Australians can understand that our government is doing everything it can and
using every policy lever it can to deliver more social and affordable housing.
thank the member for his question. First of all, I want to put on the public
record that we were left a mess in regard to that site by the former
Liberal–National government. That is well known. Press at the time
talked about a tower of 160 rooms that was left empty and vacant. It was your
former government that left us a mess with Bentley 360.
Dr D.J. Honey : It is four
years after you demolished it.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
The minister has been asked a question; I would like to hear the answer.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Something
also happened during that time, and that was the COVID-19 pandemic. As we know,
COVID radically reshaped the housing and construction market. I find it
interesting, but not surprising, that the member for Cottesloe, who regularly
outlines a conspiracy theory in this chamber that somehow this government just
wants density in his western suburbs, fails to understand the housing market.
Dr D.J. Honey : You haven't
built anything.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Member, can I
answer the question or will you be rude and continue to interject?
Dr D.J. Honey : I will
interject when I think it's appropriate.
Mr J.N. CAREY : My
observation about the member for Cottesloe is that he is the most arrogant
person in this chamber. He is always lecturing everyone else, including his own
colleagues. In fact, some of his colleagues have complained about his lectures.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members! Minister, we have an MPI to get onto, so I ask you to perhaps return
to answering the question that was asked.
Mr J.N. CAREY : The member
does not understand basic housing economics. In this post-COVID world, we are
seeing density developed in the western suburbs because that is where it is
still profitable to do that. That is where the construction sector has focused
its efforts. Everyone else in Western Australia understands that. Every other
industry understands that. The member for Cottesloe lives in an alternative
reality; his main focus is traffic in Cottesloe and not housing supply. I want
to be very clear: our state government is making a significant investment in social housing and homelessness. Because of the
rapid acceleration of cost and lack of capacity in this post-COVID world, we have focused on pumping out homes within a constrained market, and we
have done that. More than 1 600 social homes have been delivered to date. Now,
as the market starts to taper and there is more capacity in the system, we are working on those larger scale
projects. I anticipate that we will make some major announcements this
year about high-density affordable and social housing.
Bentley 360 is well known to be a more
complex site. Significant remediation work needs to be done at that site. That
work needs to be undertaken first. I appreciate that the opposition wants to
paint this as a simple policy issue, but it is far more complex than that. Western
Australians can understand that our government is doing everything it can and
using every policy lever it can to deliver more social and affordable housing.
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