Regional Housing

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (15:32): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and best wishes on your recovery from the ailment that has caused you to be in a sling.

Today, I would like to speak about housing, which unfortunately is an increasing problem in my electorate and one which my electorate office has had to deal increasingly with, which is most unfortunate for the large number of families who find themselves struggling either with homelessness or with the impending threat of homelessness upon them.

I am aware, after having done a little bit of research, that over the last 10 years there has not been a significant increase in the number of public housing stock in our part of the world despite what is quite obviously, for those who are taking notice, a dramatic increase in the amount of demand that is around this area right at the moment.

In 2010-11, approximately 380 public houses were available on Yorke Peninsula. In 2014, that made its way up to 398, and now in 2022 approximately 410 public houses are available. This is not enough and, after having a meeting with Housing SA and representatives from the minister's office just last week, we know now that 70 families are in category 1 waiting for a home on Yorke Peninsula. Of those 70 families waiting in desperate need for a house, only 35 vacancies appear on average. That means it is often a two-year wait on the category 1 waitlist for public housing, which I would submit is too long for people who are in such desperate need.

Obviously, this is a problem not just on Yorke Peninsula but across the state and across regional areas. However, of particular importance to me, and something I am passionately going to push to try to uncover a solution for, is the need to make the case for how smaller towns like Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta—and maybe even smaller towns again at Maitland and Minlaton and those sorts of towns—can have an increase to the public housing stock aside from what is being done in the bigger centres, like Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Murray Bridge, etc.

There is just as much need in our small communities—in fact, that need might be even more pressing—and we need to uncover a way in which we can ensure that need is addressed rather shortly. Just after my meeting with Housing SA and the representatives from the minister's office, I was also thrilled to host the principal of Wallaroo Primary School, Dominica

I had a chat with her in the presence of Senator Karen Grogan, whom I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting for the first time, about the impact it was having on her school and on schooling at large. Dominica was there as a representative of principals around the area and put forward their view on how it was all being addressed.

Wallaroo Primary School have had four students leave in just the last little period of time, which is over 4 per cent of their total enrolment. This is a school of fewer than 100 students, and over 4 per cent of them had to leave because of access to housing—a rental being taken away from them, being unable to access replacement public housing, anything of the like. That is a significant dent that has been put in their student body and the resources they have to account for and all the other things that go along with that.

There was a real concern on behalf of the schools that something needed to be done to keep those students in the area and also for those trying to move to the area, for family or friends or any other reason, to access more housing as well. I have to thank Dominica Thomson for putting on the record and making sure that both the senator and I were aware of the desperate need for further housing and the impact it was having on local schooling.

Senator Karen Grogan put forward what the new federal government have proposed for housing and a couple of the initiatives. She suggested there might be some opportunities for different sorts of initiatives from community organisations that might address some of these shortcomings. I would like to take this opportunity with the time I have left to put forward some of the initiatives that have been brought to me as the local state member of parliament that might help go some way toward addressing some of the issues.

I just recently had a meeting with the Kadina show society. They have a little bit of land at the back of their showgrounds that they think they could make better use of. They will be seeking, and I will be taking up on their behalf, an effort to ensure that the federal government can fund, or part fund at the very least, some of the initiatives to ensure that that block can be developed to provide the housing that is so desperately needed.

I have also been approached by a group. Unfortunately, their relative only recently passed away, but he had completed the process of subdividing a block, and all the utilities and amenities had been provided there. That block might well be an opportunity for a government body to buy up and build houses on it and make sure that block, which is now sitting vacant with all the utilities connected, could be used as government housing.

There are other initiatives that other people have approached me with. There are two really good examples. I will be taking them up on behalf of the community and look forward to doing my best to ensuring there is enough housing available for the people of Yorke Peninsula.