PUBLIC HOUSING — NUMBER
501. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Housing:
I refer to the minister's
answer to question without notice C736, which identifies 1 909 public houses
that are currently vacant.
(1) Can the minister detail how many
of these properties are returning and how many are non-returning?
(2) What is the time line for those
returning properties to be once again occupied?
Mr J.N.
CAREY replied:
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for his question. I actually relish and appreciate this
question so that I can put on the public record, once and for all, the number
of vacancies in the public housing system. First, I want to put on record how much we spent last year. We spent
$200 million on maintenance across all programs in the last financial year, including 2 500 homes through
the social housing economic recovery package. We also spent over $40 million
through the SHERP and housing and homelessness investment package programs on
over 500 refurbishments. I make it very clear that there is significant and
ongoing investment in our social housing stock.
The second element is about
vacancies. The opposition has sought to make some political gain from this, but
there will always be vacancies in the social housing system. Members have to
remember that we have 35 000 public houses
and that at any one time there will be vacant homes; it fluctuates. The
returning homes, of which there are 1 505, are returning homes for a number
of different reasons. They are homes recently vacated that are waiting to be
re-tenanted, homes recently vacated and awaiting minor refurbishment, homes
undergoing minor or major refurbishment, and we also have spot-purchase homes
that we have to refurbish before making them available to tenants. That is
around 1 500, which makes sense when we consider
that we have 35 000 houses in the system. The number of homes not returning is
422. These homes may be beyond repair or refurbishment. They are so substantially
damaged that we cannot bring them back into the system. There are also projects
like those at Beaconsfield and Subi East that are long-term renewals, and that
takes time because we have to transition people out of them over a period of
time, and so the houses remain vacant. Of course, there are other circumstances
in which we cannot allow tenants to go back in. For example, the member would
be aware that in Tambellup there was a horrific crime and the community has
asked us not to re-tenant that home.
I want to say this: when we came to government at the end
of the 2016–17 financial year, there were 1 982 vacant homes, which is
higher than the current status. The figure goes up and down; it fluctuates.
Clearly, the timing of when those 1 500 homes come back online is due to a number
of factors. It depends on the location, the availability of trades and on the
extent of the refurbishment. I want to be clear that despite what the
opposition seems to be peddling, it is not a matter of giving the homes a lick
of paint and Spakfilla. Many of these homes
require significant investment and refurbishment. As the minister, I brought
in a reform that said if only minor repairs
were required, like Spakfilla or painting, we could get the residents in
first and do those works afterward.
Lastly, as the minister I also looked
at vacant properties in the Government Regional Officers' Housing
system that were surplus to needs. As a result of that review, to date, 39
homes have transferred to social housing. I understand that the opposition is
desperate to make political gain on this, but if it looks at the facts and
clearly at the data, it will see that it is always fluctuating and that the
figures were higher at the end of the term of the former government.
Visitors
— Sue Pertile, Rosemary Donovan and Linda Tinning
The SPEAKER: Just before I take the supplementary, I meant to
acknowledge earlier the guests of the member for Carine in the Speaker's
gallery this afternoon from the Zonta Club of Perth Northern Suburbs, the club
president, Sue Pertile; vice-president,
Rosemary Donovan; and Linda Tinning, the chair of the public relations and
communications committee. Welcome to Parliament today. You are very
welcome.