❓ The Treasurer responds to a question about the effectiveness of the Regional Land Booster package, part of the WA Recovery Plan, highlighting increased land sales and job creation in regional WA.
AnsweredQoN 536Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — WA RECOVERY PLAN —
REGIONAL LAND BOOSTER PACKAGE
536. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Treasurer:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's $5.5 billion
recovery plan that includes a significant investment in supporting jobs and
businesses in our housing construction industry. Can the Treasurer update the
house on how this government's regional land booster package is helping
create a pipeline of work for businesses, workers and suppliers in regional WA?
REGIONAL LAND BOOSTER PACKAGE
536. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Treasurer:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's $5.5 billion
recovery plan that includes a significant investment in supporting jobs and
businesses in our housing construction industry. Can the Treasurer update the
house on how this government's regional land booster package is helping
create a pipeline of work for businesses, workers and suppliers in regional WA?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Bunbury for that very good question.
If I can, just by way of an aside, before I get into the detail of that
question, just note that the question was put by the Leader of the Opposition
to the Premier about why the Freedom of Information Act is excluded. It is not
unusual when we are dealing with particularly litigious third parties. As the
member for Riverton knows, the same clause is in the Bell Group companies
legislation that sought to complete the longstanding litigation regarding Bell,
so it is not an unusual clause when dealing with particularly litigious third
parties.
If I can, there has been a huge amount of effort to ensure
that our construction sector is supported during this period of impact of the
coronavirus, and members have seen—it has been much talked about around
the community— the support that the
state and the commonwealth government are providing to people who want to build
a new home . One of the issues raised
with me, as Minister for Lands, and has been for some time as I move around
regional WA , is the price of industrial, commercial and residential land
in regional Western Australia. We have to understand that in many of these locations, really, the only land available is held
by the government through Development WA . Taking that on, we announced a
few weeks ago a $116 million regional land booster to create jobs in the
region, and, importantly, to create a pipeline of work supported by the housing
construction building bonus that the state government has provided.
I am very pleased indeed to say that this policy is already
delivering results—in fact, much stronger results than I anticipated.
In the first three weeks of the initiative, Development WA saw a fourfold
increase in regional sale inquiries compared with the same period last year and
already 40 lots across regional WA have been sold across residential and
industrial space. What has been particularly pleasing is that we are seeing
renewed interest in project areas where there have been no sales or inquiries
for several years. That includes the first sale of industrial land in Kambalda
in 13 years. Indeed, Development WA sold its first industrial land in Broome
and Karratha in six years. The member for Kimberley will be delighted to know
that in her electorate, land was sold to Broome's Blue Haze, a metal
fabrications and manufacturing firm, which employs four locals and is investing
$500 000 in improvements. In the member for Pilbara's local town of
Port Hedland, a lot was sold to a developer who is now leasing a new facility
to Monadelphous Group mining services with 15 full-time employees.
Indeed, the Pilbara has seen a large residential demand for
the regional land booster. In the first week alone, land buyers placed offers
on 18 lots in Karratha's Madigan estate at Baynton West. People buying
a residential property there are saving $24 000. We are now releasing another
15 lots in Karratha to meet those demands. I figured that these policies would
be successful, but the demand has been much stronger than I ever could have
hoped, supported by a construction grant by the state and commonwealth
governments and the fact that we as a state want fly in, fly out workers to
relocate permanently to regional Western Australia. We are seeing and creating,
through these efforts, a pipeline of work that will hopefully keep those people
working and building and moving into new homes for the next couple of years.
If I can, just by way of an aside, before I get into the detail of that
question, just note that the question was put by the Leader of the Opposition
to the Premier about why the Freedom of Information Act is excluded. It is not
unusual when we are dealing with particularly litigious third parties. As the
member for Riverton knows, the same clause is in the Bell Group companies
legislation that sought to complete the longstanding litigation regarding Bell,
so it is not an unusual clause when dealing with particularly litigious third
parties.
If I can, there has been a huge amount of effort to ensure
that our construction sector is supported during this period of impact of the
coronavirus, and members have seen—it has been much talked about around
the community— the support that the
state and the commonwealth government are providing to people who want to build
a new home . One of the issues raised
with me, as Minister for Lands, and has been for some time as I move around
regional WA , is the price of industrial, commercial and residential land
in regional Western Australia. We have to understand that in many of these locations, really, the only land available is held
by the government through Development WA . Taking that on, we announced a
few weeks ago a $116 million regional land booster to create jobs in the
region, and, importantly, to create a pipeline of work supported by the housing
construction building bonus that the state government has provided.
I am very pleased indeed to say that this policy is already
delivering results—in fact, much stronger results than I anticipated.
In the first three weeks of the initiative, Development WA saw a fourfold
increase in regional sale inquiries compared with the same period last year and
already 40 lots across regional WA have been sold across residential and
industrial space. What has been particularly pleasing is that we are seeing
renewed interest in project areas where there have been no sales or inquiries
for several years. That includes the first sale of industrial land in Kambalda
in 13 years. Indeed, Development WA sold its first industrial land in Broome
and Karratha in six years. The member for Kimberley will be delighted to know
that in her electorate, land was sold to Broome's Blue Haze, a metal
fabrications and manufacturing firm, which employs four locals and is investing
$500 000 in improvements. In the member for Pilbara's local town of
Port Hedland, a lot was sold to a developer who is now leasing a new facility
to Monadelphous Group mining services with 15 full-time employees.
Indeed, the Pilbara has seen a large residential demand for
the regional land booster. In the first week alone, land buyers placed offers
on 18 lots in Karratha's Madigan estate at Baynton West. People buying
a residential property there are saving $24 000. We are now releasing another
15 lots in Karratha to meet those demands. I figured that these policies would
be successful, but the demand has been much stronger than I ever could have
hoped, supported by a construction grant by the state and commonwealth
governments and the fact that we as a state want fly in, fly out workers to
relocate permanently to regional Western Australia. We are seeing and creating,
through these efforts, a pipeline of work that will hopefully keep those people
working and building and moving into new homes for the next couple of years.
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