❓ QoN on housing supply efforts and risks. Minister outlines government initiatives and accuses the opposition of hindering progress, leading to heated exchanges.
AnsweredQoN 166Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Housing—Supply
166. Mrs Michelle Maynard to the Minister for
Planning and Lands:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's ongoing efforts to ensure every Western Australian has a
home.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house the
government's efforts to unlock land and accelerate the delivery of housing
across the state?
(2) Can the minister outline whether there are any
risks to the acceleration of housing supply?
166. Mrs Michelle Maynard to the Minister for
Planning and Lands:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's ongoing efforts to ensure every Western Australian has a
home.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house the
government's efforts to unlock land and accelerate the delivery of housing
across the state?
(2) Can the minister outline whether there are any
risks to the acceleration of housing supply?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for her
question. As a government, we understand the housing pressures we are facing in
Western Australia. Accordingly, we are seeing unprecedented coordination and
investment to unlock land for future housing supply. This is being done in a
very multifaceted approach, with a range of measures—not simply through
the greater coordination in our government agencies but also through investment
that is unlocking that land through the necessary infrastructure. Our
government, through our $400 million Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund, is
enabling new land to be unlocked. Only in our last budget, we announced $101 million
from that fund to fund 21 projects across metropolitan and key regional areas,
including 18 water and wastewater projects that will unlock a projected 33,000 residential
lots. Of course, it is not just infrastructure investment; it is also working
with industry to identify and unlock key corridors. In that regard, we
announced the largest land release in a decade, with more than 480 hectares of
land for new residential housing. We announced that Mirvac is the preferred
development partner for the Karnup estate. Once that is fully realised, it will
deliver more than 4,000 new homes. Of course, that is just one major land
development. There are plenty more that we are working through with
DevelopmentWA and the housing sector.
As I have been on record saying,
I note that on the other side, we have perhaps the most anti-housing political
party in the country. We know that from the Liberal leader, who has been shown
to be anti-density and to spread fears. Yesterday—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: He cannot help it. He gets agitated. It
gets under his skin.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: You know—it is funny. He actually
does have a record. That record is in the City of Perth. That record is before
the WA Planning Commission. That record is on his own social media.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, stop your
interjection.
Mr John Carey: Yesterday, I revealed that we have a
shadow housing spokesperson who actively encourages residents to oppose social
and affordable housing projects. In the upper house inquiry, we have Hon Adam
Spagnolo—
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Anthony!
Mr John Carey: Anthony—I am sorry.
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Just pause.
Mr Terry Healy: It is a very niche issue!
Mr John Carey: It is a niche issue!
Mr Lachlan Hunter: It's the same niche that
went to the Labor Party fundraiser.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Be very careful, member for Central
Wheatbelt with those comments.
Mr John Carey: Of course, we all know his history as
the dodgy investor relations person for Nicheliving, and we will highlight that
at the next election.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr John Carey: What we saw is the glass jaw of the WA
Liberals. They know they are under fire from the Urban Development Institute of
Australia, from the Property Council of Western Australia and from the Housing
Industry Association.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, I am sorry; is
this your question? No, it is not. You will get the chance to ask one.
Mr John Carey: What we see now in that inquiry is the
glass jaw of the WA Liberals. We know they are supersensitive. We know there
are angry calls being made, which, of course, is a trademark of the WA Liberal
leader. But Hon Anthony Spagnolo went into the inquiry to badger, interrogate,
the Property Council. He said this. He repeatedly asked the witness if she was
criticising, asking her if it was the standard practice to make such harsh
reflections on the opposition. Here we have a Liberal member of an upper house
who is not actually interested in housing and planning matters and who uses
that opportunity to attack an advocacy group because it dared to call out the
WA Liberals and the WA Liberal leader, who are opposing density. This is the
current Liberal leadership. The Liberals stand for nothing except one thing.
When they are criticised by the UDIA, by the HIA and by the Property Council,
the glass jaw comes out, the Liberal leader gets on the phone and he yells at
people, which he is known for. We know you so well. Let us ask poor Ivan about
you yelling at people!
Mr Daniel Pastorelli: A bit sensitive!
Mr John Carey: He is a bit sensitive. With their glass
jaw—they attack, they attack and they attack, and they do not listen to
the advocates.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Minister, if you could conclude
your comments.
Mr John Carey: They attack their critics. They
personalise—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, I am calling
you for the first time. Do not continue to interject when I am asking you not
to.
Mr John Carey: I got a big fish today!
The Speaker: Thanks, minister. If you could finish,
thank you.
question. As a government, we understand the housing pressures we are facing in
Western Australia. Accordingly, we are seeing unprecedented coordination and
investment to unlock land for future housing supply. This is being done in a
very multifaceted approach, with a range of measures—not simply through
the greater coordination in our government agencies but also through investment
that is unlocking that land through the necessary infrastructure. Our
government, through our $400 million Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund, is
enabling new land to be unlocked. Only in our last budget, we announced $101 million
from that fund to fund 21 projects across metropolitan and key regional areas,
including 18 water and wastewater projects that will unlock a projected 33,000 residential
lots. Of course, it is not just infrastructure investment; it is also working
with industry to identify and unlock key corridors. In that regard, we
announced the largest land release in a decade, with more than 480 hectares of
land for new residential housing. We announced that Mirvac is the preferred
development partner for the Karnup estate. Once that is fully realised, it will
deliver more than 4,000 new homes. Of course, that is just one major land
development. There are plenty more that we are working through with
DevelopmentWA and the housing sector.
As I have been on record saying,
I note that on the other side, we have perhaps the most anti-housing political
party in the country. We know that from the Liberal leader, who has been shown
to be anti-density and to spread fears. Yesterday—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: He cannot help it. He gets agitated. It
gets under his skin.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr John Carey: You know—it is funny. He actually
does have a record. That record is in the City of Perth. That record is before
the WA Planning Commission. That record is on his own social media.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, stop your
interjection.
Mr John Carey: Yesterday, I revealed that we have a
shadow housing spokesperson who actively encourages residents to oppose social
and affordable housing projects. In the upper house inquiry, we have Hon Adam
Spagnolo—
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Anthony!
Mr John Carey: Anthony—I am sorry.
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Just pause.
Mr Terry Healy: It is a very niche issue!
Mr John Carey: It is a niche issue!
Mr Lachlan Hunter: It's the same niche that
went to the Labor Party fundraiser.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Be very careful, member for Central
Wheatbelt with those comments.
Mr John Carey: Of course, we all know his history as
the dodgy investor relations person for Nicheliving, and we will highlight that
at the next election.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr John Carey: What we saw is the glass jaw of the WA
Liberals. They know they are under fire from the Urban Development Institute of
Australia, from the Property Council of Western Australia and from the Housing
Industry Association.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, I am sorry; is
this your question? No, it is not. You will get the chance to ask one.
Mr John Carey: What we see now in that inquiry is the
glass jaw of the WA Liberals. We know they are supersensitive. We know there
are angry calls being made, which, of course, is a trademark of the WA Liberal
leader. But Hon Anthony Spagnolo went into the inquiry to badger, interrogate,
the Property Council. He said this. He repeatedly asked the witness if she was
criticising, asking her if it was the standard practice to make such harsh
reflections on the opposition. Here we have a Liberal member of an upper house
who is not actually interested in housing and planning matters and who uses
that opportunity to attack an advocacy group because it dared to call out the
WA Liberals and the WA Liberal leader, who are opposing density. This is the
current Liberal leadership. The Liberals stand for nothing except one thing.
When they are criticised by the UDIA, by the HIA and by the Property Council,
the glass jaw comes out, the Liberal leader gets on the phone and he yells at
people, which he is known for. We know you so well. Let us ask poor Ivan about
you yelling at people!
Mr Daniel Pastorelli: A bit sensitive!
Mr John Carey: He is a bit sensitive. With their glass
jaw—they attack, they attack and they attack, and they do not listen to
the advocates.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Minister, if you could conclude
your comments.
Mr John Carey: They attack their critics. They
personalise—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, I am calling
you for the first time. Do not continue to interject when I am asking you not
to.
Mr John Carey: I got a big fish today!
The Speaker: Thanks, minister. If you could finish,
thank you.
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