❓ This Question on Notice from Mr. Scott Leary scrutinises the effectiveness of the Priority Housing designation in Albany, Western Australia, given that applicants from 2021 remain unhoused, and seeks detailed data on waitlists, allocations, review processes, and future housing supply.
⏳ Awaiting AnswerQoN 2724Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
The Albany electorate office regularly escalates constituents to the office of the Department of Housing and Works for urgent housing assistance. The Department's staff are helpful and responsive, however the consistent advice received is that applicants approved for Priority Housing status in 2021 have not yet been housed. This raises serious questions about whether the Priority Housing designation has any practical meaning for vulnerable people in regional Western Australia, and whether housing supply in Albany is receiving adequate attention from Government:
(a) How many applicants are currently on the Priority Housing waitlist in the Albany region, and how many social housing allocations were made in Albany in each of the past five financial years (2021-22 through 2025-26);
(b) The Department's own policy requires an annual review of all waiting applicants to confirm their continued need for housing. Can the Minister confirm that annual reviews of Priority Housing applicants on the Albany waitlist are being conducted as required, and what are the outcomes of those reviews in terms of applicants removed, downgraded, or maintained at Priority status;
(c) How many applicants currently on the Albany Priority Housing waitlist were approved for Priority status in each of the following years: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025;
(d) Given that Priority applicants from 2021 remain unhoused, what does Priority Housing status practically mean in the Albany region when the effective wait time now exceeds five years? What provisions exist for further escalation within the Priority category when a person's circumstances continue to deteriorate;
(e) What is the current median wait time for Priority Housing applicants to be housed in the Albany region, and how does this compare to other regional centres including Bunbury, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Broome, and Karratha, and to the Perth metropolitan area;
(f) The Government has announced 16 new social housing units completed in Albany in 2025 and a further 26 Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) homes allocated to Albany in the 2026-27 Budget. How will these properties be allocated, and what is the projected impact on the current Priority waitlist backlog; and
(g) The Government has promoted the Ocean Reef Marina development as delivering over 1,000 new homes, 12,000 square metres of retail and commercial space, and more than five hectares of community areas including Perth's first metropolitan coastal pool. What proportion of those dwellings will be designated as social or affordable housing and what equivalent investment in housing supply and community infrastructure is being directed to regional centres such as Albany?
Answered on
(a) How many applicants are currently on the Priority Housing waitlist in the Albany region, and how many social housing allocations were made in Albany in each of the past five financial years (2021-22 through 2025-26);
(b) The Department's own policy requires an annual review of all waiting applicants to confirm their continued need for housing. Can the Minister confirm that annual reviews of Priority Housing applicants on the Albany waitlist are being conducted as required, and what are the outcomes of those reviews in terms of applicants removed, downgraded, or maintained at Priority status;
(c) How many applicants currently on the Albany Priority Housing waitlist were approved for Priority status in each of the following years: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025;
(d) Given that Priority applicants from 2021 remain unhoused, what does Priority Housing status practically mean in the Albany region when the effective wait time now exceeds five years? What provisions exist for further escalation within the Priority category when a person's circumstances continue to deteriorate;
(e) What is the current median wait time for Priority Housing applicants to be housed in the Albany region, and how does this compare to other regional centres including Bunbury, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Broome, and Karratha, and to the Perth metropolitan area;
(f) The Government has announced 16 new social housing units completed in Albany in 2025 and a further 26 Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) homes allocated to Albany in the 2026-27 Budget. How will these properties be allocated, and what is the projected impact on the current Priority waitlist backlog; and
(g) The Government has promoted the Ocean Reef Marina development as delivering over 1,000 new homes, 12,000 square metres of retail and commercial space, and more than five hectares of community areas including Perth's first metropolitan coastal pool. What proportion of those dwellings will be designated as social or affordable housing and what equivalent investment in housing supply and community infrastructure is being directed to regional centres such as Albany?
Answered on
AnswerView source ↗
⏳
This question is awaiting a response from the Minister.
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