UNO APARTMENTS

Ms BETTISON (Ramsay) (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Social Housing. Can the minister please inform the house about the awards which have been won by the UNO apartments, since they became operational in July 2012?

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:34): I thank the member for her question and her commitment to improving social housing in our state. On Friday 8 February, I was pleased to attend the UNO apartments opening ceremony with the Premier, the newly appointed federal Minister for Homelessness (the Hon. Mark Butler), the Hon. Jennifer Rankine and also the member for Adelaide.

The SPEAKER: There is no need, minister, to give us the minister's Christian name and surname; their title will be quite sufficient.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The building is a magnificent achievement by Housing SA, utilising the commonwealth's Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan funds to construct a unique concept which is unlike anything else, either interstate or overseas.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Mr Speaker, it is very hard to speak with all the noise in the background. The building combines a mix of social housing, private rental, affordable purchase and market sales to achieve a 17-storey community unlike anything else seen previously in Australia. Add to that a youth crisis service which provides 30 beds for homeless and disadvantaged youth and you can see why it's such a unique project.

It is for these reasons that UNO has won a number of awards at both state and national levels. The UNO apartments began last November by winning the Urban Development Institute of Australia SA Awards for Excellence. With wins for the Best High Density Housing and also the President's Award categories, the UNO apartments were recognised as being at the forefront of building design in South Australia.

Later in November, UNO won awards from the Civic Trust of South Australia. These included the prestigious Hugh Stretton Award for Innovation in Residential Development and UNO was also the joint winner of the Urban Award in the People's Choice Award where an online vote decided the winner.

The UDIA State Awards success meant that UNO was nominated for the national awards, which were held early this month in Melbourne. In a great coup for South Australia and Housing SA, the UDIA chose UNO apartments as the winner of their National Award for Excellence.

UNO won against a strong field which included several other outstanding submissions from across the country. The main point of difference was identified as its unique vertical community concept. This award is recognition for Housing SA in delivering innovative, high-quality and affordable housing opportunities for all South Australians. It is also a huge accolade for the builder Tagara.

The Hon. G. Portolesi: That's my electorate.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: In your electorate. Tagara Builders are a South Australian company who have operated in the industry for more than 20 years. Their services have been provided to federal, state and local governments as well as a range of community and private organisations. The UNO apartments is the largest and most high-profile project they have taken on and they certainly excelled in their construction quality.

There is no doubt UNO is a wonderful achievement in design and innovation in providing a mixture of tenancies which is shown to be working. It is a great way to provide an affordable place to live and a healthy, safe and vibrant community. Finally, this is a fine example of how government leadership, by working with the private sector, has resulted in a benefit for the community.

The SPEAKER: Before I call on the next question, the principal offender whose background noise was interfering with the minister during that answer was the Minister for Manufacturing and I call him to order. The member for Mount Gambier.