SOCIAL HOUSING —
REGIONS — MODULAR CONSTRUCTION
822. Hon
STEVE MARTIN to the Leader of the House representing the Minister for
Housing:
I refer to the government's
answer to my question without notice 750 asked on 16 September 2021.
(1) When does the government expect the design phase
of the plan to deliver 134 modular homes in regional WA to be completed?
(2) Is the
expected completion date acceptable in light of the severity of the housing
crisis, particularly in regional Western Australia?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) The
McGowan government will invest $2.1 billion into social housing over the next
four years, which includes the recently announced record investment of $875 million
as part of the 2021–22 state budget. This
is the single largest one-off investment into social housing in the state's
history and will provide an immediate boost to social housing. Modular
construction, in addition to traditional construction methodologies, ensures
that more homes can be delivered in regional locations given current market constraints. Early tender advice has been publicly
advertised notifying that the Department of Communities will be seeking
expressions of interest to establish a prefabricated residential housing
builders' panel. The establishment of the panel is a crucial component
of the design phase and is being expedited to address social housing demand.