Hon Steve Martin's question seeks data on drug-related damage and maintenance in WA public housing, but the Minister states this data isn't readily available and would require extensive manual review.

AnsweredQoN 504Legislative Council
Asked
21 August 2025
Portfolio
Housing and Works

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to drug use in Western Australian public housing, and I ask: (a) how many properties were vacant for maintenance due to drug related damage or contamination as of 30 June, for each financial year from 2021-22 to 2024-25; (b) what is the total cost of drug-related maintenance of public housing for each of the financial years in (a); and (c) for each of the years in (a), how many maintenance requests relating to drug activity were outstanding as of 30 June?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
14 October 2025
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing and Works
Response time
7 days
(a – c)
Operational procedures are in place to manage suspected drug contamination in public housing properties. These include protocols for identifying and responding to clandestine drug laboratories, smoke houses, and cannabis grow houses, with actions guided by national and state remediation standards.
Data relating to drug related damage or contamination is not captured in a reportable data table. Providing this data would require a manual review of individual case files and is not considered a reasonable use of government resources.

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