❓ Mr. McGowan asks about the number of children and other dependents on the public housing waitlist, given increased federal funding and a slump in housing approvals. Mr. Buswell acknowledges the issue, provides statistics, and outlines the government's response, including collaboration with the federal government.
AnsweredQoN 681Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING — CHILDREN WAITING
Some notice of this question has been given. I refer to the unprecedented extra federal funding for housing, the fact that 4 210 children are waiting for priority housing, and the 33 per cent slump in housing approvals since early 2008. (1) How many children are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? (2) How many other dependants, spouses or partners are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? Mr T.R. BUSWELL
Some notice of this question has been given. I refer to the unprecedented extra federal funding for housing, the fact that 4 210 children are waiting for priority housing, and the 33 per cent slump in housing approvals since early 2008. (1) How many children are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? (2) How many other dependants, spouses or partners are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? Mr T.R. BUSWELL
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
(1) How many children are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? (2) How many other dependants, spouses or partners are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: (1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
(2) How many other dependants, spouses or partners are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: (1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: (1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
(1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
(1) How many children are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? (2) How many other dependants, spouses or partners are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: (1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
(2) How many other dependants, spouses or partners are awaiting public housing associated with the 22 000 people on the general waitlist? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: (1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: (1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
(1)-(2) It is a good question and I appreciate the question. In fact, I might actually get the department to report on this on a regular basis because it is an important point. For every one entrant on the public housing waiting list there are, of course, people who sit behind them who will follow them into that house; it is a household model. I will give the member the answer, but I just want to make some other observations first. I thank the member for the notice and I will give him the data later. There were 22 154 applications for public rental housing as at 31 August. Included in these applications are 50 843 people, of whom 23 344 are children, and this includes dependant children, adult non-dependant children and shared-custody children. I have a couple of points in relation to that and hopefully they deal with the matter that the member raised. What it shows is that for every application on the waiting list there are 2.29 people, if I can use the term, sitting behind that application; in other words, the average household on the waiting list is 2.29 people. Of the total number of people, the 50 843 people in the pool, 45 per cent are children. I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing. Mr M. McGowan : Thanks to Kevin Rudd! Seriously, you did not give credit where it is due. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
I went back and had a look at 2005. In 2005 there were a lot fewer people on the public housing waiting list—13 125. Interestingly, the average waitlist household at that time was 2.3 people, so that pretty much has not changed over the past few years. That does not mitigate the fact that there are a lot more people on the waiting list now, and I acknowledge that. Similarly, at that point in time, 45 per cent of that pool of people were children, so it would appear that that sort of average household demographic on the waitlist has not changed. The member is right; it is a very confronting statistic that we have to deal with: more than 50 000 people, or 22 000 applicants, are waiting for a social housing dwelling. That has gone up significantly in the past eight to nine months—significantly and alarmingly. In many ways, we could argue—I suppose the term “perfect storm” is not the exact term—that what we have had is a collision of economic factors. Those economic factors are unemployment, declining working hours for some people and rising rents, which have really been locked in now across the metropolitan area. Therefore, people are under housing stress. Also, we have, unfortunately, a historic underspend in investment in social housing. Members may be interested to note that from 2001, over an eight-year period, the average social housing stock in Western Australia increased by 296 dwellings per annum. That is 296 dwellings per annum over eight years. With 22 000 people on the waitlist, if we kept going under that model we would need somewhere between 70 and 80 years to accommodate all the people on the waiting list, and that is not acceptable. That is why we are changing our approach to social housing.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have not finished—let me finish. We have changed our approach and there are a couple of things — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : There are a couple of things I just want to draw to the house’s attention. I will not go through all the initiatives we have introduced in social housing, but we are committed in partnership with the commonwealth. I was down in Cockburn, I think last week, with Melissa Parke, the federal member for Fremantle, launching a very innovative development; I think it is a 70 or 80-unit development, and it is fantastic. I have at every opportunity, often to the disappointment of my federal colleagues, congratulated the federal government for its investment in social housing in Western Australia. It will provide 2 000 dwellings and we will provide 600 extra dwellings—2 600 dwellings in the next two years. So what is that by way of comparison? Those 2 600 dwellings in the next two years is 10 years’ work under the former government; we will do that in the next two years. We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
We are doing something else through Keystart. Keystart plays an important role. Keystart does not necessarily always support people who would be on the social housing waiting list, but it helps provide affordable housing. In the 2008-09 year, this government increased funding available to Keystart to extend loans such that Keystart made loans to 5 340 Western Australians to help them buy property. It helped 5 340 Western Australians. That is a portfolio of $1.5 billion. The year before, that figure was 2 385 loans under Keystart—$690 million. That Keystart loan program has easily doubled in our first year in government. We have made that commitment to help young Western Australians get into affordable housing. I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
I have a third point before I close. I noticed some comments from the shadow Minister for Housing and Works in today’s paper. He came up with a policy idea. It is quite an interesting and novel policy idea from the opposition as to how to help address social housing. The article stated — Mr McGowan called on the Government to consider all options to solve the crisis, including the possibility of a shared equity scheme where social housing tenants could go into partnership with the State to buy a house … Is that about right? That is a unique policy initiative—and we have one! We have one that is called GoodStart. It has been in operation for eight years! The opposition’s initiative is an eight-year-old ongoing program of government. Do members know what GoodStart lets happen? GoodStart enables people in social housing — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : — to buy their own house. Therefore, the opposition’s great initiative has been around for eight years. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : You knew about it; you are a failed housing minister! The member for Cockburn knows about it, I hope; he is a failed housing minister! Do the work!
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