House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2) 51 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Land Prices LAND PRICES Mr HAMILTON-SMITH House of Assembly Waite Leader of the Opposition LAND PRICES Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:35): My question is to the Premier. Does he recognise that restrictive planning laws and poor land release management by his government is resulting in an increase in land prices, putting home affordability beyond the reach of many families? Data from the State Valuation Office shows the demand for land has seen the average cost of a block of land in Adelaide rise from approximately $90,000 in 2001 to almost $170,000 in 2008, a 90 per cent increase. The release of land for new housing developments is controlled by the government through the Land Management Corporation. The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly Ramsay Premier Minister for Economic Development Minister for Social Inclusion Minister for the Arts Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change LAND PRICES The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:35): I just want to say about this: just think about what you have just said. The fact is that this government introduced, in the last parliament, the most comprehensive changes to planning laws in the last 30 years in this state, on my advice, and what happened? The Liberals blocked them in the upper house. So what extraordinary hypocrisy once again from the Leader of the Opposition. He is criticising us for not passing legislation that he blocked in the upper house.