❓ The Minister for Housing provides an update on the government's investment in social housing, reporting the delivery of over 2,500 homes since 2021 and criticises the opposition's stance on planning and housing issues.
AnsweredQoN 683Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING — SUPPLY
683. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
$3.2 billion into increasing housing supply.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how this record investment is delivering
additional social housing across Western Australia?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of any risks to delivering more
housing for WA?
683. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
$3.2 billion into increasing housing supply.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how this record investment is delivering
additional social housing across Western Australia?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of any risks to delivering more
housing for WA?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for her question and her commitment to boosting both social
and affordable housing in her own electorate. Our message has been very clear.
We have a laser focus and a clear plan to boost housing supply in Western Australia.
A key part of that is driving and accelerating the delivery of social housing.
Members have heard me say in this chamber plenty of times before that we have
introduced a large number of reforms to accelerate delivery. Whether it is
changes to procurement; our range of builders panels to facilitate modular,
prefab and small homes; $2 million worth of innovative grants for the community
housing sector, with a specific stream for regional Western Australia; or our
planning reforms, we are seeing a systematic approach from every angle to boost
social housing supply. We have even spot-purchased a hotel, the Murray Street
Lodge. I have joined with the member for Nedlands to convert that into supported
accommodation.
I am really pleased to say that we
have reached a critical milestone. Today, we were able to announce that we have
delivered just over 2 500 social homes since our record investment in 2021. Of
course, that is half of our elevated target of 5 000 social homes. Members may
remember that we said there would be 3 300 and then we put in more money. Then
it rose to 4 000, and we put in more money. Now the target is 5 000. I just
want to assure Western Australians that we are doing everything we can.
Contrast that with the other side. We
have seen that a trend is now developing in the opposition; that is, they say
different things according to the audience. That is clear and apparent on
planning issues. The Leader of the Liberals stood in this chamber to claim
credit for the development assessment panel system, which was introduced by the
Labor government in 2021. She said, on the record, about our reforms —
The opposition supports many of the
changes to the development assessment panels contained within the bill.
�
These are modest and sensible
changes.
�
Streamlining the planning and
development processes is essential.
She also went on to say —
We need to ensure there is
independence at the development level of decision-making, and that is why the
Liberal–National government introduced the development assessment
panels.
It is really interesting. We now know
that to be preselected for the Liberal Party, people have got to be bonkers,
extremely right-wing or anti-housing. Those seem to be the qualifications.
Sorry—the general qualification is that you must do everything you can
to be the best buddy of Hon Nick Goiran. That is your core.
The Liberal candidate for Nedlands
said —
''One of the key shared
Liberal values � is that the decentralisation of local decisions be made at a local
level.
�
''Development should stay
in the hands of local authorities where possible,''
We have the Leader of the Liberal
Party crowing in this chamber about introducing the DAP system and saying that
our reforms are sensible and modest, yet she has candidates out there saying ''We
do not actually care what the Liberal leader says or does. We don't
care because we are just going to make up our own thing and say whatever we
want and go out in the community!''
We see this again and again. The
Liberal candidate for Churchlands, who has shut down a women's shelter,
is also saying that he is going to ignore what the Leader of the Liberal Party
is saying in this Parliament and will promise to return powers to local
government. Of course, this is the critical problem that the Leader of the
Liberal Party faces; she does not actually have leadership of the Liberal
Party. She had to walk out of a press conference today. She was under so much
pressure because she would not disendorse a candidate. Let us be clear what
this candidate said.
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Deputy
Speaker, this is not an answer to a question; it is a rambling tirade and has
nothing to do with the question that was asked.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cottesloe. I will not uphold that point of order, but I believe
the minister was getting close to the end of his reply.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr J .N. CAREY : Can I just say
this? I am not saying that the Liberal leader walked out. Here is the article
in The West Australian . Members will love this. It is headed ''Liberal
leader Libby Mettam backs 'proud to be white' candidate James
Hall'' and states —
Liberal leader Libby Mettam has
walked out of a press conference after being questioned on whether she had
spoken to a party candidate since it emerged �
Let us be very clear about this
principle issue: the Leader of the Liberal Party will not disendorse a candidate
who claimed that migrants —
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Deputy
Speaker, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the question the minister was
asked. Surely question time is about answering the question, not making it up
as you go along.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cottesloe. Members and ministers, I could not quite hear what
the member for Cottesloe was saying. Luckily, I got an understanding of what he
intended, so I do not have to ask him to repeat it. Minister, if you could wrap
up your response, that would great, thanks.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr J.N. CAREY : Thank you,
Deputy Speaker. The point I am making is this: the Liberal leader feels that it
is not ethnically nor morally correct to call out a candidate who claims that
migrants hate our culture and are bleeding our welfare system. I say this to
every multicultural community in Western Australia —
Several members interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : No, can I just
say this? I am sorry to every Western Australian multicultural community that
may feel threatened or disowned by this extremism that we are seeing from the
Liberal Party. What is a greater failure of moral leadership is when the
Liberal leader is presented with this information and she does not call it out
but walks out of a press conference and hides. You are damned forever!
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Deputy
Speaker, the minister is ignoring your direction. This has nothing whatsoever
to do with the question.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cottesloe; the minister has concluded his reply.
thank the member for her question and her commitment to boosting both social
and affordable housing in her own electorate. Our message has been very clear.
We have a laser focus and a clear plan to boost housing supply in Western Australia.
A key part of that is driving and accelerating the delivery of social housing.
Members have heard me say in this chamber plenty of times before that we have
introduced a large number of reforms to accelerate delivery. Whether it is
changes to procurement; our range of builders panels to facilitate modular,
prefab and small homes; $2 million worth of innovative grants for the community
housing sector, with a specific stream for regional Western Australia; or our
planning reforms, we are seeing a systematic approach from every angle to boost
social housing supply. We have even spot-purchased a hotel, the Murray Street
Lodge. I have joined with the member for Nedlands to convert that into supported
accommodation.
I am really pleased to say that we
have reached a critical milestone. Today, we were able to announce that we have
delivered just over 2 500 social homes since our record investment in 2021. Of
course, that is half of our elevated target of 5 000 social homes. Members may
remember that we said there would be 3 300 and then we put in more money. Then
it rose to 4 000, and we put in more money. Now the target is 5 000. I just
want to assure Western Australians that we are doing everything we can.
Contrast that with the other side. We
have seen that a trend is now developing in the opposition; that is, they say
different things according to the audience. That is clear and apparent on
planning issues. The Leader of the Liberals stood in this chamber to claim
credit for the development assessment panel system, which was introduced by the
Labor government in 2021. She said, on the record, about our reforms —
The opposition supports many of the
changes to the development assessment panels contained within the bill.
�
These are modest and sensible
changes.
�
Streamlining the planning and
development processes is essential.
She also went on to say —
We need to ensure there is
independence at the development level of decision-making, and that is why the
Liberal–National government introduced the development assessment
panels.
It is really interesting. We now know
that to be preselected for the Liberal Party, people have got to be bonkers,
extremely right-wing or anti-housing. Those seem to be the qualifications.
Sorry—the general qualification is that you must do everything you can
to be the best buddy of Hon Nick Goiran. That is your core.
The Liberal candidate for Nedlands
said —
''One of the key shared
Liberal values � is that the decentralisation of local decisions be made at a local
level.
�
''Development should stay
in the hands of local authorities where possible,''
We have the Leader of the Liberal
Party crowing in this chamber about introducing the DAP system and saying that
our reforms are sensible and modest, yet she has candidates out there saying ''We
do not actually care what the Liberal leader says or does. We don't
care because we are just going to make up our own thing and say whatever we
want and go out in the community!''
We see this again and again. The
Liberal candidate for Churchlands, who has shut down a women's shelter,
is also saying that he is going to ignore what the Leader of the Liberal Party
is saying in this Parliament and will promise to return powers to local
government. Of course, this is the critical problem that the Leader of the
Liberal Party faces; she does not actually have leadership of the Liberal
Party. She had to walk out of a press conference today. She was under so much
pressure because she would not disendorse a candidate. Let us be clear what
this candidate said.
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Deputy
Speaker, this is not an answer to a question; it is a rambling tirade and has
nothing to do with the question that was asked.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cottesloe. I will not uphold that point of order, but I believe
the minister was getting close to the end of his reply.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr J .N. CAREY : Can I just say
this? I am not saying that the Liberal leader walked out. Here is the article
in The West Australian . Members will love this. It is headed ''Liberal
leader Libby Mettam backs 'proud to be white' candidate James
Hall'' and states —
Liberal leader Libby Mettam has
walked out of a press conference after being questioned on whether she had
spoken to a party candidate since it emerged �
Let us be very clear about this
principle issue: the Leader of the Liberal Party will not disendorse a candidate
who claimed that migrants —
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Deputy
Speaker, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the question the minister was
asked. Surely question time is about answering the question, not making it up
as you go along.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cottesloe. Members and ministers, I could not quite hear what
the member for Cottesloe was saying. Luckily, I got an understanding of what he
intended, so I do not have to ask him to repeat it. Minister, if you could wrap
up your response, that would great, thanks.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr J.N. CAREY : Thank you,
Deputy Speaker. The point I am making is this: the Liberal leader feels that it
is not ethnically nor morally correct to call out a candidate who claims that
migrants hate our culture and are bleeding our welfare system. I say this to
every multicultural community in Western Australia —
Several members interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : No, can I just
say this? I am sorry to every Western Australian multicultural community that
may feel threatened or disowned by this extremism that we are seeing from the
Liberal Party. What is a greater failure of moral leadership is when the
Liberal leader is presented with this information and she does not call it out
but walks out of a press conference and hides. You are damned forever!
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Deputy
Speaker, the minister is ignoring your direction. This has nothing whatsoever
to do with the question.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cottesloe; the minister has concluded his reply.
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