❓ Mr. Norberger questions the Minister for Housing on the government's affordable housing strategy. The Minister defends the strategy, highlighting collaboration with the not-for-profit sector and criticising the opposition's approach.
AnsweredQoN 608Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING STRATEGY
608. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for Housing:
Can the minister please outline the government's
affordable housing strategy; and, is he aware whether there are any alternative
policies?
HOUSING STRATEGY
608. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for Housing:
Can the minister please outline the government's
affordable housing strategy; and, is he aware whether there are any alternative
policies?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Joondalup for a very good question.
Indeed, members by now should be well aware that the Liberal–National
government has a plan to provide housing to those who need it. Our carefully
thought out plan, the state affordable housing strategy, was developed
alongside the not-for-profit sector, including the Western Australian Council
of Social Service. Indeed, I must commend that sector for its input and its
continued —
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the first time. Member for West
Swan, I call you to order for the second time. If you want to have a private
meeting, go outside.
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
was just commending the not-for-profit sector, including WACOSS, for its
support of our strategy, and its continued support as we go forward. In
contrast with our strategy, the opposition seems to have no strategy except to
criticise our strategy. Indeed, I am being generous in calling it a strategy;
the opposition's key approach is to parade in front of the media people
who the opposition claims are not being looked after by the Department of
Housing. A number of claims have been made over the past 12 months of homeless
people not receiving any assistance from my department. In all cases, at the
very least, the department can and does provide bond assistance. My department
also works closely with the Department for Child Protection and Family Support
to assist homeless people, and puts people in contact with the not-for-profit
housing sector; indeed, there are 82 not-for-profit housing sector deliverers
in Western Australia, including St Bartholomew's House. It is
particularly disappointing that when the opposition conveniently neglects to
give the complete picture to the media, it appears to the general public that
my department is not doing its job. There are many dedicated staff in my
department, and the cheap political pointscoring of the opposition, omitting
key facts in individual cases, is extremely frustrating to me and to the people
in my department who actually know the real story. If there is an issue, all members
have to do is pick up the phone and call me and we can sort the problem out, if
indeed there is one.
Probably the worst example of the more recent ones was an
issue in which a tenant's bathroom water had not been connected.
However, the real facts behind that story, which I presented at the time, were
that the tenant had missed two plumbing appointments. Appointments were made —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn!
Mr
W.R. MARMION : One of the reasons that —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the first and second
times.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : As I was explaining, this is probably the worst example —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you for the third time.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : I am going to give only this one example; I could give
hundreds. This particular one —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn!
Mr W.R. MARMION :
The tenant had made an appointment with the plumber, and the tenant was not
there. The plumber went there twice, and it costs money to the taxpayers of
Western Australia and my department every time someone does not attend an
appointment. The other factor to this story was that the tenant actually had a
brand-new kitchen and had had $17 000 spent on the house in one year. It had a
new kitchen, and the last thing to be done was an upgrade for the brand-new
bathroom to connect the plumbing. On the two occasions the plumber had made an
appointment, the tenant was not there.
One final example relates to me taking the member for
Cockburn at his word in relation to a grievance he raised about a playground
that was in poor condition in Nambi community village, near Leonora. Photos had
been sent around, and, indeed, the playground looked as though it needed an
upgrade and some lawnmowing. I actually went to Leonora and checked out the
playground, and what the member failed to tell me was that there was another
playground —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : This is closer in length to a speech in Parliament
rather than an answer to a question without notice. I specifically heard you —
Mr
B.J. Grylls interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I specifically heard you at the beginning of
question time asking ministers to keep their answers brief. It seems that a
number of ministers are wilfully ignoring your advice.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, you said that you were going to use one example; you are
on the second example. Wind it up, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
will. I did not really want to miss this one, but I will conclude very quickly.
The point is that there was another playground within five
metres; it was a better playground, so the children chose to go to that one.
Even worse, the playground was not even an asset of the department, so it was
not our responsibility.
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn!
Mr W.R. MARMION :
In quickly closing, one of the most important things that this government has
done is to provide $600 million in support for the not-for-profit sector. The
Department of Housing works closely with the Department for Child Protection
and Family Support and with the 82 not-for-profit housing providers, and our
government has delivered $600 million in extra funding for that sector. We
actually have a plan; we are going to deliver 20 000 affordable homes by 2020.
All the opposition seems to do is drag out individual people for the purpose of
political pointscoring.
Indeed, members by now should be well aware that the Liberal–National
government has a plan to provide housing to those who need it. Our carefully
thought out plan, the state affordable housing strategy, was developed
alongside the not-for-profit sector, including the Western Australian Council
of Social Service. Indeed, I must commend that sector for its input and its
continued —
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the first time. Member for West
Swan, I call you to order for the second time. If you want to have a private
meeting, go outside.
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
was just commending the not-for-profit sector, including WACOSS, for its
support of our strategy, and its continued support as we go forward. In
contrast with our strategy, the opposition seems to have no strategy except to
criticise our strategy. Indeed, I am being generous in calling it a strategy;
the opposition's key approach is to parade in front of the media people
who the opposition claims are not being looked after by the Department of
Housing. A number of claims have been made over the past 12 months of homeless
people not receiving any assistance from my department. In all cases, at the
very least, the department can and does provide bond assistance. My department
also works closely with the Department for Child Protection and Family Support
to assist homeless people, and puts people in contact with the not-for-profit
housing sector; indeed, there are 82 not-for-profit housing sector deliverers
in Western Australia, including St Bartholomew's House. It is
particularly disappointing that when the opposition conveniently neglects to
give the complete picture to the media, it appears to the general public that
my department is not doing its job. There are many dedicated staff in my
department, and the cheap political pointscoring of the opposition, omitting
key facts in individual cases, is extremely frustrating to me and to the people
in my department who actually know the real story. If there is an issue, all members
have to do is pick up the phone and call me and we can sort the problem out, if
indeed there is one.
Probably the worst example of the more recent ones was an
issue in which a tenant's bathroom water had not been connected.
However, the real facts behind that story, which I presented at the time, were
that the tenant had missed two plumbing appointments. Appointments were made —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn!
Mr
W.R. MARMION : One of the reasons that —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the first and second
times.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : As I was explaining, this is probably the worst example —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I call you for the third time.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : I am going to give only this one example; I could give
hundreds. This particular one —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn!
Mr W.R. MARMION :
The tenant had made an appointment with the plumber, and the tenant was not
there. The plumber went there twice, and it costs money to the taxpayers of
Western Australia and my department every time someone does not attend an
appointment. The other factor to this story was that the tenant actually had a
brand-new kitchen and had had $17 000 spent on the house in one year. It had a
new kitchen, and the last thing to be done was an upgrade for the brand-new
bathroom to connect the plumbing. On the two occasions the plumber had made an
appointment, the tenant was not there.
One final example relates to me taking the member for
Cockburn at his word in relation to a grievance he raised about a playground
that was in poor condition in Nambi community village, near Leonora. Photos had
been sent around, and, indeed, the playground looked as though it needed an
upgrade and some lawnmowing. I actually went to Leonora and checked out the
playground, and what the member failed to tell me was that there was another
playground —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : This is closer in length to a speech in Parliament
rather than an answer to a question without notice. I specifically heard you —
Mr
B.J. Grylls interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I specifically heard you at the beginning of
question time asking ministers to keep their answers brief. It seems that a
number of ministers are wilfully ignoring your advice.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, you said that you were going to use one example; you are
on the second example. Wind it up, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
will. I did not really want to miss this one, but I will conclude very quickly.
The point is that there was another playground within five
metres; it was a better playground, so the children chose to go to that one.
Even worse, the playground was not even an asset of the department, so it was
not our responsibility.
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn!
Mr W.R. MARMION :
In quickly closing, one of the most important things that this government has
done is to provide $600 million in support for the not-for-profit sector. The
Department of Housing works closely with the Department for Child Protection
and Family Support and with the 82 not-for-profit housing providers, and our
government has delivered $600 million in extra funding for that sector. We
actually have a plan; we are going to deliver 20 000 affordable homes by 2020.
All the opposition seems to do is drag out individual people for the purpose of
political pointscoring.
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