❓ Mr. Hughes questions the Minister for Housing on the impact of the government's $2.6 billion investment in social housing and homelessness measures on the community housing sector. The Minister responds by outlining achievements, support for community housing, and criticises the opposition's lack of policy.
AnsweredQoN 686Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC HOUSING —
HOMELESSNESS
686. Mr M. HUGHES to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
$2.6 billion investment in social housing and homelessness measures, the
highest on record in Western Australia's history.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this significant investment is growing the
community housing sector in Western Australia, particularly in the face of
global market constraints?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of any alternative proposals to
deliver more housing for Western Australians?
HOMELESSNESS
686. Mr M. HUGHES to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
$2.6 billion investment in social housing and homelessness measures, the
highest on record in Western Australia's history.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this significant investment is growing the
community housing sector in Western Australia, particularly in the face of
global market constraints?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of any alternative proposals to
deliver more housing for Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for his question. As the member has rightly put on the record,
our government is making a record investment in social housing and homelessness
programs. I have said it before and I will say again: it is $2.6 billion over
four years to deliver a new target of 4 000 homes. We said that, within the tightest construction market in our state's
history, we would deliver 1 300 homes in our first two years— and
we did that. We now sit at having delivered more than 1 500 social homes, with
another 1 000 under contract or construction.
We understand that the community
housing sector has a critical role to play. It has a critical role to play
because it can also leverage additional funding for social homes. In
particular, it can now leverage from the recently passed Housing Australia
Future Fund, which will provide new funding for the community housing sector.
At a state level, I am deeply proud that we have introduced a number of changes
to facilitate and support community housing.
We have provided $150 million in grants to community housing organisations to both refurbish their ageing stock and bring new stock to the
system. We are working with them on changing the procurement rules. We have
also announced a new planning reform to make it easier to enable community
housing to be built and developed so that a community housing proposal of any
value or size can go straight to the development assessment panel rather than a
local council. I also announced this week at the symposium that we are now
doing a broad open call for submissions to the community housing sector. A crack team in our agency is asking them to
come forward with their proposals . We will help to make them happen. We
have the funding for them. We have land for them. Our message is that we are doing everything we can to boost
social housing and we want to help the community housing sector.
It is interesting to note, again, the
silence from the other side. Consistently, our initiatives are welcomed by industry, the Property Council of Australia,
the Urban Development Institute of Australia and the social housing
sector. The only silence is from the Liberal and National Parties. As I have
said previously, they have made not one policy announcement on social or
community housing—not one. Zero! You would think that after nearly
three years they would get their act together and put something out. The only
policy they have is more red tape. They are allowing the member for Cottesloe,
who effectively has become the shadow minister for every portfolio, to make
policy announcements on the run through his favourite newspaper—a quality paper—the Subiaco Post . In
the newspaper he said that the opposition would oppose the government's
significant pathway approvals. That would mean the creation of red tape for
major housing projects in Western Australia,
including community housing. There is silence from the Leader of the
Nationals WA and silence from the Leader of the Liberal Party. They have
nothing to say on housing. They have no policies except to increase red tape on
housing development in Western Australia.
thank the member for his question. As the member has rightly put on the record,
our government is making a record investment in social housing and homelessness
programs. I have said it before and I will say again: it is $2.6 billion over
four years to deliver a new target of 4 000 homes. We said that, within the tightest construction market in our state's
history, we would deliver 1 300 homes in our first two years— and
we did that. We now sit at having delivered more than 1 500 social homes, with
another 1 000 under contract or construction.
We understand that the community
housing sector has a critical role to play. It has a critical role to play
because it can also leverage additional funding for social homes. In
particular, it can now leverage from the recently passed Housing Australia
Future Fund, which will provide new funding for the community housing sector.
At a state level, I am deeply proud that we have introduced a number of changes
to facilitate and support community housing.
We have provided $150 million in grants to community housing organisations to both refurbish their ageing stock and bring new stock to the
system. We are working with them on changing the procurement rules. We have
also announced a new planning reform to make it easier to enable community
housing to be built and developed so that a community housing proposal of any
value or size can go straight to the development assessment panel rather than a
local council. I also announced this week at the symposium that we are now
doing a broad open call for submissions to the community housing sector. A crack team in our agency is asking them to
come forward with their proposals . We will help to make them happen. We
have the funding for them. We have land for them. Our message is that we are doing everything we can to boost
social housing and we want to help the community housing sector.
It is interesting to note, again, the
silence from the other side. Consistently, our initiatives are welcomed by industry, the Property Council of Australia,
the Urban Development Institute of Australia and the social housing
sector. The only silence is from the Liberal and National Parties. As I have
said previously, they have made not one policy announcement on social or
community housing—not one. Zero! You would think that after nearly
three years they would get their act together and put something out. The only
policy they have is more red tape. They are allowing the member for Cottesloe,
who effectively has become the shadow minister for every portfolio, to make
policy announcements on the run through his favourite newspaper—a quality paper—the Subiaco Post . In
the newspaper he said that the opposition would oppose the government's
significant pathway approvals. That would mean the creation of red tape for
major housing projects in Western Australia,
including community housing. There is silence from the Leader of the
Nationals WA and silence from the Leader of the Liberal Party. They have
nothing to say on housing. They have no policies except to increase red tape on
housing development in Western Australia.
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