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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 681 asked in the Legislative Council on 6 April 2022 by Hon Dr Brad Pettitt

Question Directed to the: Leader of the House representing the Minister for Housing
Parliament: 41 Session: 1


Question

I refer to the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) Quarterly Performance Report of December 2021. In Western Australia, the subsidies for 447 allocations (dwellings) ceased by the end of last year and a further 4847 affordable dwellings are set to lose their subsidies over the next five years (2022-2026). I therefore ask:
(a) has the Government done any modelling on how many of these properties will be lost to the market and the impact on Western Australia;
(b) has the Government made any plans to address the loss of these properties:
(i) if yes to (b), will the Minister share what these plans are; and
(ii) if no to (b), why not;
(c) has the Government advocated to the Federal Government to extend or replace the scheme;
(d) will the Government look to replace the NRAS with a State scheme;
(e) what will the Government do to manage the impact on tenants as the subsidies end; and
(f) how does the Government plan to increase the supply of affordable rental housing in the State now and on an ongoing basis?

Answered on 11 May 2022

(a-f)     The State Government is committed to delivering more social and affordable housing and is disappointed that the Federal Government is no longer funding NRAS. The Minister and State Government have continued to raise how important Commonwealth funded schemes like NRAS and Commonwealth Rent Assistance are in contributing to greater access to affordable housing across the country.

As such, State Governments have to invest more into social and affordable housing. The McGowan Government and the Minister for Housing are committed to increasing social housing supply and to do so have invested $2.1 billion over four years and a record $875 million in the last budget. This is on top of several other programs including the Housing Diversity Pipeline and targeted land release to boost affordable housing supply.

The Building Bonus Grant Program which has seen last year around 27,000 building approvals, with 4000 in the regions is another State Government initiative that has increased the stock of affordable homes across WA with most grants being for affordable homes.

The Keystart program, which is unique to WA is another program the state administers, which allows low income individuals and families who are above the social housing threshold to get into their own home, increasing housing affordability.

If individuals who are currently on the NRAS need assistance, the Department of Communities will assess their needs on a case by case basis and provide them with information on their housing options and the appropriate support services. This may be the provision of social housing which is an affordable rental option for those on low incomes.