❓ The Minister for Housing and Works outlines the Cook Labor government's investment in social and affordable housing, highlighting a new $1.5 billion commitment and a target of 9,800 homes. The Minister also criticises the opposition's stance on government involvement in build-to-rent projects.
AnsweredQoN 237Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Housing—Investment
237. Mrs Lorna Clarke to
the Minister for Housing and Works:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring every Western Australian has a home.
Can the minister please outline to the house how this government is investing
in social and affordable housing to support Western Australian families?
237. Mrs Lorna Clarke to
the Minister for Housing and Works:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring every Western Australian has a home.
Can the minister please outline to the house how this government is investing
in social and affordable housing to support Western Australian families?
AnswerView source ↗
As a government, we
understand acutely the pressures in the rental and housing market, and that is
why since 2021 we have made a record investment in social and affordable
rentals. Today, we made a new signature announcement—an additional $1.5 billion
towards the delivery of more social and affordable rentals. This funding
includes $1 billion towards Housing Australia Future Fund projects, which
will mean a total of $1.8 billion to deliver more than 3,000 homes. In
addition, it will also fund further social housing programs in the Department
of Housing and Works. Overall, this funding injection means a new social and
affordable housing target. I am pleased to say to the house that our new target
is 9,800 social and affordable homes. That includes 500 affordable homes
for first home buyers as part of the build-to-sell program.
Most importantly,
today we also reached another milestone: we tipped over the 4,000 mark with 4,062
social homes—new homes—added to the system. This is a significant achievement
and it is a significant achievement in a very tough construction market since
the COVID pandemic. We made this announcement at the Woodbridge development, a fantastic
location comprising four storeys from which the new Midland train station could
be seen on the horizon. I have to say there was a little bit of irony about
that, because the Leader of the Liberal Party had done an Instagram reel stunt
where he went out to the site and bemoaned the fact that there was no
construction. I am pleased to report that construction is underway. Of course
at the time of that stunt, the Liberal leader forgot to mention that it was the
site of a failed housing project under the Barnett Liberal government. He comes
out and does his social media reel, and we can see it when he is doing the reel—I
am sure he has the applause happening in his head because every time he speaks,
he has a little applause happening in his head—and he thought: "I've got
them". What he failed to do and what he failed to do in research was find
that that site was a failed venture under the former Liberal government and now
it is a social and affordable housing project. As a result of our funding, we
are enabling 30 social and affordable projects.
What is interesting—this
is now a clear philosophical difference between our side and that side—is that
the Liberals and Nationals oppose it. We know that the shadow spokesperson for
housing actively opposes build-to-rent projects, but she went further, and the
ABC reported this. The state opposition said that the government should not be
playing the role of property developer to ease the housing crisis. Let us be
very clear: build-to-rent projects will not happen without the state government;
build-to-rent projects for social and affordable housing do not happen unless
the state takes an interventionist role, including building them. This is the
truth. There is a real, very set difference between our side and that side. I
do not know how members opposite can seriously come into this place to say they
care and they are concerned about our most vulnerable renters doing it tough
when they actually now say there is no role for the state to build those build-to-rent
projects. The difference is very clear. One side, this side, is about
accelerating the delivery of social and affordable rentals, and that side is
walking away.
understand acutely the pressures in the rental and housing market, and that is
why since 2021 we have made a record investment in social and affordable
rentals. Today, we made a new signature announcement—an additional $1.5 billion
towards the delivery of more social and affordable rentals. This funding
includes $1 billion towards Housing Australia Future Fund projects, which
will mean a total of $1.8 billion to deliver more than 3,000 homes. In
addition, it will also fund further social housing programs in the Department
of Housing and Works. Overall, this funding injection means a new social and
affordable housing target. I am pleased to say to the house that our new target
is 9,800 social and affordable homes. That includes 500 affordable homes
for first home buyers as part of the build-to-sell program.
Most importantly,
today we also reached another milestone: we tipped over the 4,000 mark with 4,062
social homes—new homes—added to the system. This is a significant achievement
and it is a significant achievement in a very tough construction market since
the COVID pandemic. We made this announcement at the Woodbridge development, a fantastic
location comprising four storeys from which the new Midland train station could
be seen on the horizon. I have to say there was a little bit of irony about
that, because the Leader of the Liberal Party had done an Instagram reel stunt
where he went out to the site and bemoaned the fact that there was no
construction. I am pleased to report that construction is underway. Of course
at the time of that stunt, the Liberal leader forgot to mention that it was the
site of a failed housing project under the Barnett Liberal government. He comes
out and does his social media reel, and we can see it when he is doing the reel—I
am sure he has the applause happening in his head because every time he speaks,
he has a little applause happening in his head—and he thought: "I've got
them". What he failed to do and what he failed to do in research was find
that that site was a failed venture under the former Liberal government and now
it is a social and affordable housing project. As a result of our funding, we
are enabling 30 social and affordable projects.
What is interesting—this
is now a clear philosophical difference between our side and that side—is that
the Liberals and Nationals oppose it. We know that the shadow spokesperson for
housing actively opposes build-to-rent projects, but she went further, and the
ABC reported this. The state opposition said that the government should not be
playing the role of property developer to ease the housing crisis. Let us be
very clear: build-to-rent projects will not happen without the state government;
build-to-rent projects for social and affordable housing do not happen unless
the state takes an interventionist role, including building them. This is the
truth. There is a real, very set difference between our side and that side. I
do not know how members opposite can seriously come into this place to say they
care and they are concerned about our most vulnerable renters doing it tough
when they actually now say there is no role for the state to build those build-to-rent
projects. The difference is very clear. One side, this side, is about
accelerating the delivery of social and affordable rentals, and that side is
walking away.
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