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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 859 asked in the Legislative Council on 11 October 2022 by Hon James Hayward

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

HOMELESSNESS — CENTRE FOR NATIONAL RESILIENCE — BULLSBROOK

859. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:

I refer to a report published in The West Australian of Thursday, 6 October 2022, relating to a single mother and her six-year-old son who slept in a ute for three months over winter.

(1) Does the Premier consider a car to be a more appropriate location for homeless families than the Centre for National Resilience in Bullsbrook?

(2) Can the Premier detail exactly how the design of the Bullsbrook facility renders it less appropriate than a car for providing short-term shelter for families with young children?

(3) Would the Premier consider allowing families without permanent accommodation to use the Bullsbrook facility as a safe space to park their cars to sleep for the night?

(4) Why will the government not use the Centre for National Resilience to address WA's current housing and rental emergency?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

(1)–(4) Under the agreement signed between the state and commonwealth governments, the commonwealth government–owned Centre for National Resilience in Bullsbrook is being maintained by the state government for a 12-month period before operations are transferred to the commonwealth. As the Premier has outlined on many occasions, including in a detailed statement to Parliament on 20 September 2022, the state government considered other uses for the facility during its initial 12-month term, including as temporary accommodation for interstate and international skilled workers and for people at risk of becoming homeless. However, the facility was found to be unsuitable for these uses, primarily due to its isolated location, constraints around the design based on short-stay quarantine and the lack of surrounding services and amenities. Any suggestions for alternative uses of the facility should be directed to the commonwealth government.