PUBLIC
HOUSING — WAITLIST
212. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Housing:
I have a supplementary
question. After four years in government, nearly 900 applicants sat unhoused on
the minister's waitlist for more than 350 weeks as at June 2021.
In a state with an eye-watering surplus, how is that excusable?
Mr J.N. CAREY
replied:
I find it extraordinary. This government makes the largest
social housing investment in the state's history, and the member for
Cottesloe ignores it.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY: The member for Cottesloe keeps
interrupting. I show him due respect; he appears not to be able to do the same.
His contributions to this debate are about as useful as a flyscreen in a submarine.
I want to put it on the record that we are doing everything
we can to accelerate the delivery of social housing, but waiting lists are always tied to rental markets. That
is the case across Australia, and in this COVID pandemic, during which
we have faced extraordinary circumstances, the rental market has tightened. I want
to remind the member for Cottesloe that this has happened in the past; waiting
lists increase with the tightening of the rental market. That happened in 2010
under the previous Liberal–National government; it got up to 24 000 on
the waiting list. It is tied to the rental market, but despite that, we have an
enormous program at the moment through which we are doing everything we can to
accelerate the delivery of social housing whilst having a pipeline of work
through a housing fund.