Housing SA

168 Ms SANDERSON (Adelaide) (15 October 2015). In relation to Budget Paper 4, Volume 1, Pages 116 and 117—the 1,000 solar hot water systems to be installed:

1. What are the selection criteria for the properties?

2. Have the locations/homes been identified and when will this program be completed?

3. On page 116, it states across metro and regional areas—can you confirm the areas?

4. Are there any plans to include Manitoba, Pope Court or Playford in Adelaide?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers): I have been advised:

1. This election commitment was to target larger family households in both metropolitan, regional and remote locations throughout South Australia, to reduce power bills for those households, and therefore the following criteria have been used:

properties with three or more bedrooms;

large numbers of occupants;

existing hot water services installed prior to 2010;

properties with LPG; and

properties identified for longer term future use by the South Australian Housing Trust.

2. Housing SA has identified approximately 3,000 properties as potentially suitable for this project, including a number of properties in the Aboriginal communities of Raukkan, Point Pearce and Davenport. It is anticipated the majority of the 1,000 solar hot water systems will be installed by the end of December 2015. If necessary, the balance of installations will be completed in early 2016.

3. Approximately 70 per cent of the properties identified are in rural areas, such as the South-East, Riverland, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Yorke Peninsula, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Ceduna, with most metropolitan areas also having properties identified as eligible.

4. At this time Manitoba, Pope Court and Playford have not been identified as eligible properties for solar hot water systems due to the large number of one and two-bedroom dwellings and the plan to target larger family households. Other factors that impact on suitability for solar in these complexes may be excessive shade from trees and other buildings, and roof orientation.