❓ Question on social housing investment and homelessness initiatives. Minister responds by outlining government achievements and criticizes the opposition's lack of policy.
AnsweredQoN 465Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS — INITIATIVES
465. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's significant investment to tackle homelessness and support Western
Australians into secure housing.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the government's record investment is
delivering additional social housing across the state?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how other targeted measures are being delivered to
help those experiencing homelessness?
465. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's significant investment to tackle homelessness and support Western
Australians into secure housing.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the government's record investment is
delivering additional social housing across the state?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how other targeted measures are being delivered to
help those experiencing homelessness?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for her question and her commitment. The member and I have
been to community housing projects that are being delivered as the direct
result of our investment in not-for-profit providers. As I have said before in
this house, we are deeply cognisant of the housing and rental market. We are
not alone; every state is facing the same critical challenges. Western Australia
has had significant population growth. With our very strong economy, people are
leaving New South Wales and Victoria and calling Western Australia and Queensland home. I want to assure all Western Australians
that the state government takes this challenge very seriously and is
doing everything it can because, ultimately, the answer is simply to boost
housing supply. That is a big task because of a number of factors at play,
including the COVID pandemic. Speak to any builder, and they will tell you that
the legacy from the COVID pandemic is still playing
a critical part, whether it is cost escalations, like a 30 to 40 per cent
increase to build a single home , or skilled labour shortages. These
impact our housing supply.
I am deeply proud that, as a government,
we are delivering in the tightest construction market known to our state's
history and that since our record investment of $3.2 billion in social housing
and homelessness, we have delivered more than 2 300 social homes, with another
1 000 under contract or construction. In fact, our last financial year saw one
of the largest deliveries of social homes in almost a decade. This shows that
all the reforms that we are introducing, whether it is modular, prefabricated,
or small homes, converting excess stock or working with community housing
providers, are having a lasting effect.
This week is Homelessness Week. I have
been meeting with homelessness organisations, and today I was at the former Murray Street Lodge, Wandjoo Bidi,
which is run by Vinnies. It was a hotel that we purchased and converted
into homelessness accommodation.
I am advised that it is an
outstanding success. In fact, a number of those residents have now moved across
from supported accommodation into permanent housing. Of course, that is the
ultimate goal. We should always have
aspirational targets, whether it is to end rough sleeping or get more people
into housing. We understand the issues are complex. We understand that
people's life circumstances change, but, as a government, we are doing
everything we can to provide housing for the most vulnerable.
We
had a July winter break. It was a time to re-energise, including for me. I note
that despite the Leader of the Liberal Party saying that housing is a critical
priority, the Liberals do not have one housing policy. Despite that, they do
not have one planning policy. I think this is important.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr J.N. CAREY : It is
always interesting when I raise this, because the Leader of the Liberal Party
gets very agitated.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Do members know what? It is like a fish.
I am not a recreational fisher, but I see someone who takes the bait. Every time, the Leader of the Liberal Party interjects
and asks why. It is true. Worse still, we know that in planning, this is what the Liberals do. Now we
are seeing a trick. They go to nimby groups and say, ''We're
going to change the planning rules and make it harder to do housing.''
They go to development groups and say, ''No, we support cutting red
tape.'' The thing about the Leader of the Liberal Party and the now
shadow spokesperson for housing and planning is that to different audiences,
they say different things. This is the problem with members of the Liberal
Party. They do not know where they stand on housing or planning because they do
not understand it; they do not get it. They
have not done the work to do any basic policies. It is now August and this
political party that argues that housing is one of the critical issues
that this state must face has no policies. Instead, we on this side have a vast
number of reforms to streamline and cut and to drive housing supply in Western Australia.
thank the member for her question and her commitment. The member and I have
been to community housing projects that are being delivered as the direct
result of our investment in not-for-profit providers. As I have said before in
this house, we are deeply cognisant of the housing and rental market. We are
not alone; every state is facing the same critical challenges. Western Australia
has had significant population growth. With our very strong economy, people are
leaving New South Wales and Victoria and calling Western Australia and Queensland home. I want to assure all Western Australians
that the state government takes this challenge very seriously and is
doing everything it can because, ultimately, the answer is simply to boost
housing supply. That is a big task because of a number of factors at play,
including the COVID pandemic. Speak to any builder, and they will tell you that
the legacy from the COVID pandemic is still playing
a critical part, whether it is cost escalations, like a 30 to 40 per cent
increase to build a single home , or skilled labour shortages. These
impact our housing supply.
I am deeply proud that, as a government,
we are delivering in the tightest construction market known to our state's
history and that since our record investment of $3.2 billion in social housing
and homelessness, we have delivered more than 2 300 social homes, with another
1 000 under contract or construction. In fact, our last financial year saw one
of the largest deliveries of social homes in almost a decade. This shows that
all the reforms that we are introducing, whether it is modular, prefabricated,
or small homes, converting excess stock or working with community housing
providers, are having a lasting effect.
This week is Homelessness Week. I have
been meeting with homelessness organisations, and today I was at the former Murray Street Lodge, Wandjoo Bidi,
which is run by Vinnies. It was a hotel that we purchased and converted
into homelessness accommodation.
I am advised that it is an
outstanding success. In fact, a number of those residents have now moved across
from supported accommodation into permanent housing. Of course, that is the
ultimate goal. We should always have
aspirational targets, whether it is to end rough sleeping or get more people
into housing. We understand the issues are complex. We understand that
people's life circumstances change, but, as a government, we are doing
everything we can to provide housing for the most vulnerable.
We
had a July winter break. It was a time to re-energise, including for me. I note
that despite the Leader of the Liberal Party saying that housing is a critical
priority, the Liberals do not have one housing policy. Despite that, they do
not have one planning policy. I think this is important.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr J.N. CAREY : It is
always interesting when I raise this, because the Leader of the Liberal Party
gets very agitated.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Do members know what? It is like a fish.
I am not a recreational fisher, but I see someone who takes the bait. Every time, the Leader of the Liberal Party interjects
and asks why. It is true. Worse still, we know that in planning, this is what the Liberals do. Now we
are seeing a trick. They go to nimby groups and say, ''We're
going to change the planning rules and make it harder to do housing.''
They go to development groups and say, ''No, we support cutting red
tape.'' The thing about the Leader of the Liberal Party and the now
shadow spokesperson for housing and planning is that to different audiences,
they say different things. This is the problem with members of the Liberal
Party. They do not know where they stand on housing or planning because they do
not understand it; they do not get it. They
have not done the work to do any basic policies. It is now August and this
political party that argues that housing is one of the critical issues
that this state must face has no policies. Instead, we on this side have a vast
number of reforms to streamline and cut and to drive housing supply in Western Australia.
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