❓ Mr. Love questions the Premier about using the Bullsbrook facility to address the housing crisis, highlighting a family living in a campervan. The Premier defends the government's housing initiatives and explains why the facility is unsuitable and under federal control.
AnsweredQoN 274Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING — CENTRE FOR NATIONAL RESILIENCE
274. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
Tia-Rose Hutchins, her partner
Callum and their newborn have been living in a campervan tent and are forced to
move every few days. Both the former Premier and the Premier's own
government have dismissed the idea of using the 500-bed Bullsbrook facility
amidst this housing crisis. One year on and Perth's rental vacancy rate
has dropped to a record low. Will the Premier reconsider using the facility to
ease the housing crisis for struggling Western Australian families?
274. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
Tia-Rose Hutchins, her partner
Callum and their newborn have been living in a campervan tent and are forced to
move every few days. Both the former Premier and the Premier's own
government have dismissed the idea of using the 500-bed Bullsbrook facility
amidst this housing crisis. One year on and Perth's rental vacancy rate
has dropped to a record low. Will the Premier reconsider using the facility to
ease the housing crisis for struggling Western Australian families?
AnswerView source ↗
Of course, members all heard from
the Minister for Housing a short while ago about everything that we are doing
in this space, so I will not detain Parliament any longer by repeating what he
had to say. Suffice to say, the $2.6 billion in housing and homelessness
initiatives we have introduced since becoming elected as part of our social and affordable housing measures are
significant efforts. Even today, we announced efforts to boost our housing stock, which is the only way we will make housing more affordable and more
accessible for Western Australians. In relation to the Bullsbrook facility,
there is a fundamental problem, and that is that it is run by the federal
government. It is not actually our facility to gift to anyone. But also, if the
member has been there he will see that it is a very isolated, basic place in
relation to providing housing assistance, by its very definition. It is
isolating. It was built as an isolation quarantine facility. It is not a facility
that is suitable for any members of the community to simply exist or to be
housed.
Mr P.J. Rundle interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr
R.H. COOK : The best way that we
can help people who are experiencing homelessness is to significantly invest in improving and growing the housing stock that we have available to us. That
is why this morning, we announced our $5 000 incentive scheme to incentivise
those people who have housing that is empty at the moment and has been empty
for the last six months to put it on the long-term rental market. We hope that
that will significantly improve the supply of housing stock. It is these
measures, these sustainable and ongoing measures, that will resolve the
situation. The pandemic delivered us a once-in-a-generation disruption to our
housing market, and that has led to significant pressures on the availability
of housing. As the Minister for Housing has said on many occasions, we are not
the only people affected by this. This is a national and, indeed, international
phenomenon at the moment. We must continue to do what we can, utilising our
strong finances to improve the housing situation.
the Minister for Housing a short while ago about everything that we are doing
in this space, so I will not detain Parliament any longer by repeating what he
had to say. Suffice to say, the $2.6 billion in housing and homelessness
initiatives we have introduced since becoming elected as part of our social and affordable housing measures are
significant efforts. Even today, we announced efforts to boost our housing stock, which is the only way we will make housing more affordable and more
accessible for Western Australians. In relation to the Bullsbrook facility,
there is a fundamental problem, and that is that it is run by the federal
government. It is not actually our facility to gift to anyone. But also, if the
member has been there he will see that it is a very isolated, basic place in
relation to providing housing assistance, by its very definition. It is
isolating. It was built as an isolation quarantine facility. It is not a facility
that is suitable for any members of the community to simply exist or to be
housed.
Mr P.J. Rundle interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr
R.H. COOK : The best way that we
can help people who are experiencing homelessness is to significantly invest in improving and growing the housing stock that we have available to us. That
is why this morning, we announced our $5 000 incentive scheme to incentivise
those people who have housing that is empty at the moment and has been empty
for the last six months to put it on the long-term rental market. We hope that
that will significantly improve the supply of housing stock. It is these
measures, these sustainable and ongoing measures, that will resolve the
situation. The pandemic delivered us a once-in-a-generation disruption to our
housing market, and that has led to significant pressures on the availability
of housing. As the Minister for Housing has said on many occasions, we are not
the only people affected by this. This is a national and, indeed, international
phenomenon at the moment. We must continue to do what we can, utilising our
strong finances to improve the housing situation.
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