House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Public Housing PUBLIC HOUSING The Hon. P.L. WHITE House of Assembly Taylor PUBLIC HOUSING The Hon. P.L. WHITE (Taylor) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Housing. Can the minister update the house on housing construction activity in the northern suburbs? The Hon. J.M. RANKINE House of Assembly Wright Minister for Families and Communities Minister for Northern Suburbs Minister for Housing Minister for Ageing Minister for Disability PUBLIC HOUSING The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Northern Suburbs, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:54): As we know, it is a very exciting time in South Australia in relation to the construction of public housing. Mr Pengilly interjecting: The Hon. J.M. RANKINE House of Assembly The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Well, not for 20 years have we seen this level of construction in public housing. An honourable member interjecting: The Hon. J.M. RANKINE House of Assembly The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Well, it is interesting to look at the contrast. Back in 1998 your lot built 34 public houses. In the next 12 to 18 months we will see something like 2,200 public houses built here in South Australia. So, apart from delivering the 1,500 homes as part of the economic stimulus package, the recent state budget provides for about 700 further homes through Housing SA programs, the Affordable Housing Innovations Fund or agreements with the commonwealth for indigenous housing. In partnership with the federal government, we are also in the midst of rolling out $30 million in funding for Nation Building housing upgrades. This project involves taking nearly 400 houses that previously were not suitable for tenants, upgrading them and returning them to the public housing stock. The work being undertaken on all the houses is extensive. It includes new kitchens and bathrooms, polished floorboards and interior painting, electrical rewiring and improvements to plumbing. Homes will be improved externally as well. They will also have new gardens, rendering, aluminium windows and exterior painting. The upgrades are also being done with the environment in mind. Some will have new ceiling insulation to reduce energy costs and dual flush toilets installed. I am pleased to inform the house that we have recently agreed to $2 million worth of contracts for upgrades in the northern suburbs for homes that will provide accommodation for 21 families. This is in addition to about 100 new homes that will be built in that area that have been approved by the federal housing minister, Tanya Plibersek, in stage 1 of the rollout. Adding further benefit to the project, in four of the 21 houses being upgraded the work will be undertaken by BoysTown, an extremely worthwhile organisation operating through Elizabeth TAFE. BoysTown gives young people hands-on work experience and the opportunity to learn new skills through building work. The first round of upgrades is expected to be finished by September with the rest completed by the end of the year. Tenants should be able to move in shortly after. As properties become available, as I said, we expect to see about 400 upgrades around the state.