Question On Notice No. 2950 asked in the Legislative Council on 14 May 2020 by Hon Robin Scott
Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Housing
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
(1) Can the Minister advise how many Department of Communities houses in Kalgoorlie-Boulder have reoccurring water damage in the ceilings or walls?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) Can the Minister advise what is being done to eliminate the problem of reoccurring water damage in peoples houses located in Kalgoorlie-Boulder so as tenants are not repeatedly subjected to unfavourable, unhygienic living conditions as result of continual water leaks?
(4) If no to (3), why not?
Answered on 18 June 2020
(1) No.
(2) The Department of Communities is unable to report on properties with reoccurring water damage as it does not capture data on this criterion. It would impose a significant administrative burden on the
Department of Communities to source this data.
(3) - (4) The Department of Communities continually identifies properties that require upgrades to existing infrastructure.The Department of Communities endeavours to respond to maintenance issues as
soon as possible, prioritising maintenance work that poses a health and safety risk to tenants or where there is a risk of damage to the property. Public housing tenants are required to report
maintenance issues as and when issues occur. When a tenant reports a burst water pipe, the tenant is requested to turn off the water at the water main to prevent additional damage to the property.
Maintenance falls under four categories, with different maximum wait times for each category. The maximum time for urgent work, such as a burst water pipe, is 24 hours. After hours maintenance
services are provided for emergency maintenance repairs, to be attended to after normal working hours.
The McGowan State Government’s Social Housing Economic Recovery Package announced in June 2020, is the largest housing maintenance and refurbishment program in our State’s history.
This $318.7 million stimulus package will see the refurbishment of 1,500 public and community houses, supported accommodation facilities such as family and domestic violence refuges, and residential
group homes. It also includes a rolling maintenance program targeting 3,800 regional government-owned properties, and the delivery of about 250 new homes to help the most vulnerable people in our
community.