SOCIAL HOUSING ECONOMIC
RECOVERY PACKAGE — REGIONAL WESTERN AUSTRALIA
704. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the minister representing the
Minister for Housing:
I refer to the $444 million housing
stimulus package announced on 7 June 2020.
(1) Of the $142
million that will be spent refurbishing social housing dwellings, how much will
be allocated for dwellings in regional WA, and will the minister please provide
the breakdown by regional spend?
(2) With regard
to (1), will the minister please list the regional local government areas and
towns in which these works will be carried out and identify the number of new
builds in each town?
(3) Will the minister please provide a breakdown of
regional local government areas, towns and/or communities in which the
$80 million for targeted maintenance will be spent?
(4) What plans
are in place for tenants of dwellings in which refurbishment or maintenance
works are to be carried out?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The social
housing economic recovery package announced by the Premier on 7 June 2020 will
deliver a $141.7 million refurbishment
stream to around 1 500 dwellings in both metropolitan Perth and regional WA.
It is intended that approximately 30 per cent of this refurbishment program
will be delivered in regional Western Australia.
(2) The
Department of Communities is currently identifying properties that require
refurbishment works and is undertaking the necessary planning to enable works
to commence over the coming months.
With respect to the new builds, the
department will prioritise allocating readily available sites to ensure that
works can commence as soon as possible, and align locations and dwelling
configurations with public housing demand. Land asset identification and
allocation is underway. The final quantum of sites by region will be determined
over the coming months.
(3) The $80 million targeted maintenance program will
deliver works to 3 800 regional properties across WA, including public
housing, community housing, housing in remote Aboriginal communities and
subsidised housing for regional government
workers. The Department of Communities is currently identifying regional
properties that require maintenance works,
with specific locations and regional breakdowns to be determined over
the coming months.
(4) Once the properties have been identified for
refurbishment works, the Department of Communities will engage with its clients
to ensure that an appropriate relocation plan is put in place to minimise
disruption. The Department of
Communities intends to utilise vacant and newly constructed dwellings to assist
with relocations.