❓ Mr. Scaife asks about the impact of $7.5 million in funding for St Patrick's Community Support Centre and how it builds on social housing investment. The Minister details the project and criticises a Liberal Party candidate's stance on homelessness.
AnsweredQoN 46Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOMELESSNESS — SOCIAL HOUSING
46. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Minister for Homelessness:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
record investment to support people experiencing homelessness.
(1) Can the
minister outline how this government's $7.5 million support for St
Patrick's Community Support Centre in Fremantle will assist people in
the local community?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this funding builds on this government's
investment to bolster the state's social housing stock?
46. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Minister for Homelessness:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
record investment to support people experiencing homelessness.
(1) Can the
minister outline how this government's $7.5 million support for St
Patrick's Community Support Centre in Fremantle will assist people in
the local community?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this funding builds on this government's
investment to bolster the state's social housing stock?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
want to thank the member for his question and his support of St Pat's
in Fremantle. As we know, St Pat's is a highly credible and long-term
provider of homelessness services. I have gone out there numerous times, and it
always reminds me that when one speaks to people directly and to the clients
who go through St Pat's—I think this is really acute for us all
to remember—homelessness can happen to anyone. I have met people who
have had incredible lives, financially rewarding lives, who end up in very dire
situations and who end up rough sleeping. That is why I am very pleased that we
have provided $7.5 million as part of a $12 million redevelopment to replace existing
accommodation to enable 28 new social housing dwellings. This will be based
around the Housing First Homelessness Initiative approach, which is about
tenants having support to wraparound services. This funding announcement comes
out of our reforms. I made a general call
for submissions, asking anyone to come forward to propose a new project. This
is an example of that procurement reform and our commitment to working
with the community housing sector.
While I am on this topic, I want to
say that another credible provider, of course, is Ruah Community Services, and
that provider is in my own electorate. When we talk about Ruah, that local
service provider has been operating within 100 metres of its current operation
for more than 60 years. It is highly credible and provides assistance to the
most vulnerable in Western Australia, and it has deep respect. I have to say
that it has been unfortunate that we have seen a targeted campaign at such a credible
provider. Ruah staff, who are providing support to the most vulnerable people,
have been targeted and harassed by certain individuals. What is clear about
this campaign is that a couple of individuals have made consistent complaints—as
Ruah stated, ''egregious'' complaints—about them,
including a hotel that, I have to say, when I looked at the more than 400
reviews of the hotel in question from TripAdvisor or Google, has not had one
complaint about homelessness or Ruah opposite that hotel, and if it were a problem,
we think there would be. This morning we heard the Leader of the Liberal Party
in this chamber talking about compassion for people doing it tough. What I find
contradictory about that is that there are WA Liberals aspiring to be
candidates for the Liberal Party who apparently do not need to show compassion
when buying preselection for seats. Of course, I am talking about City of Perth
Councillor Brent Fleeton who shows no compassion and no sympathy for those
doing it tough on our streets. Brent has form here. He paid for a social media
advertisement in which he encouraged residents to make any complaints about
RUAH after its launch and said that it is only through consistent reporting of
incidents can action be taken against Ruah.
He has also made incredible
stereotypes about tenants in the social housing system, saying that they bring noise complaints, litter and declining property
values. Of course, this is the City of Perth councillor who took a photo
of a person sleeping rough, someone quietly bedding down for the night on a street
in Sydney, and put it in an Instagram story. This is cruel, nasty and venomous,
and this is the new-improved Liberal Party. A
leopard never changes its spots. This is not the compassion that the Leader of
the Liberal Party talks about. We face incredible times. COVID has radically
reshaped our housing market. Our government is doing everything it can to boost
social housing supply and provide support for the most vulnerable. We have a Leader
of the Liberal Party who talks about compassion, yet the prospective Liberal Party candidate for Nedlands, who appears
certain to get it, shows venom, a lack of sympathy and a lack of empathy
for people doing it tough on our streets. Welcome to the new Liberal Party of Western
Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
want to thank the member for his question and his support of St Pat's
in Fremantle. As we know, St Pat's is a highly credible and long-term
provider of homelessness services. I have gone out there numerous times, and it
always reminds me that when one speaks to people directly and to the clients
who go through St Pat's—I think this is really acute for us all
to remember—homelessness can happen to anyone. I have met people who
have had incredible lives, financially rewarding lives, who end up in very dire
situations and who end up rough sleeping. That is why I am very pleased that we
have provided $7.5 million as part of a $12 million redevelopment to replace existing
accommodation to enable 28 new social housing dwellings. This will be based
around the Housing First Homelessness Initiative approach, which is about
tenants having support to wraparound services. This funding announcement comes
out of our reforms. I made a general call
for submissions, asking anyone to come forward to propose a new project. This
is an example of that procurement reform and our commitment to working
with the community housing sector.
While I am on this topic, I want to
say that another credible provider, of course, is Ruah Community Services, and
that provider is in my own electorate. When we talk about Ruah, that local
service provider has been operating within 100 metres of its current operation
for more than 60 years. It is highly credible and provides assistance to the
most vulnerable in Western Australia, and it has deep respect. I have to say
that it has been unfortunate that we have seen a targeted campaign at such a credible
provider. Ruah staff, who are providing support to the most vulnerable people,
have been targeted and harassed by certain individuals. What is clear about
this campaign is that a couple of individuals have made consistent complaints—as
Ruah stated, ''egregious'' complaints—about them,
including a hotel that, I have to say, when I looked at the more than 400
reviews of the hotel in question from TripAdvisor or Google, has not had one
complaint about homelessness or Ruah opposite that hotel, and if it were a problem,
we think there would be. This morning we heard the Leader of the Liberal Party
in this chamber talking about compassion for people doing it tough. What I find
contradictory about that is that there are WA Liberals aspiring to be
candidates for the Liberal Party who apparently do not need to show compassion
when buying preselection for seats. Of course, I am talking about City of Perth
Councillor Brent Fleeton who shows no compassion and no sympathy for those
doing it tough on our streets. Brent has form here. He paid for a social media
advertisement in which he encouraged residents to make any complaints about
RUAH after its launch and said that it is only through consistent reporting of
incidents can action be taken against Ruah.
He has also made incredible
stereotypes about tenants in the social housing system, saying that they bring noise complaints, litter and declining property
values. Of course, this is the City of Perth councillor who took a photo
of a person sleeping rough, someone quietly bedding down for the night on a street
in Sydney, and put it in an Instagram story. This is cruel, nasty and venomous,
and this is the new-improved Liberal Party. A
leopard never changes its spots. This is not the compassion that the Leader of
the Liberal Party talks about. We face incredible times. COVID has radically
reshaped our housing market. Our government is doing everything it can to boost
social housing supply and provide support for the most vulnerable. We have a Leader
of the Liberal Party who talks about compassion, yet the prospective Liberal Party candidate for Nedlands, who appears
certain to get it, shows venom, a lack of sympathy and a lack of empathy
for people doing it tough on our streets. Welcome to the new Liberal Party of Western
Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
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