Affordable Housing

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:13): My question is to the Minister for Human Services. Will the minister commit to retaining the affordable homes program? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: The affordable homes program provides vital assistance to South Australians to have the opportunity to own their own home, with exclusive access to properties at a fixed price. However, neither of Labor's election documents, 'first homes for the future,' or its public housing plan make any mention of the affordable homes program.

The Hon. N.F. COOK (Hurtle Vale—Minister for Human Services) (14:13): Thanks for giving me another opportunity to speak regarding the work that we are doing. Just to provide you with some further information, I think I forgot to answer the part where you talked about NRAS.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. N.F. COOK: The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS)—I forgot to say that that was an excellent scheme under federal Labor that provides supplemented rental for people in private properties purchased and built and done under arrangement. Up until 2014, that was growing and in place. This provides—

The SPEAKER: Minister, there is a point of order, which—

The Hon. N.F. COOK: I know it is hard to hear the—

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, please be seated. I will hear the point of order under 134, member for Morialta.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: I thank you for your further advice this morning. You made it very clear about the importance of the substance of the question. The minister's response now, I think, is debate and it is also debate in relation to the previous question. There is a very specific question here about the affordable homes scheme, and we seek your support in having the minister answer that question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Morialta. Order, member for Florey! My statement this morning was not intended to enlarge or alter the test in relation to standing order 98, but rather to provide a comprehensive statement that might assist members. I will listen carefully.

The Hon. N.F. COOK: This is about affordable housing. I was asked about affordable housing, and this is particularly about affordable housing. The NRAS scheme was halted by I think it was the Abbott government at that time, in 2014. In spite of issues being raised over the past four years in respect to NRAS—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. N.F. COOK: —we saw no action at all. There was no commitment to restart that scheme. There are thousands of NRAS properties disappearing out of the market because of just Liberal policy basically.

Mrs Hurn: What are you doing?

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert!

The Hon. N.F. COOK: The NRAS program provides affordable rental so that people are paying 75 per cent of market rent and the other portion is paid in so that these become essentially affordable rental properties. That is one part of rental affordability that started to end when they cut it in 2014, but now we will see it end by 2025. I think it's about 3,000 properties to disappear out of that scheme, with probably most of those people selling them, which is pretty unfortunate.

In terms of the state government plan currently, we have taken to the election a very clear commitment to build public housing, so we are building 400 public homes. That will happen across a range of locations in South Australia, with 150 of them committed to the regions. A few weeks ago, we announced that the tender would be released for the first 10 of those in Mount Gambier, specifically targeting local builders in Mount Gambier to help with jobs as well as provision of housing. There will be more to add later this year and beyond in terms of those.

Mr Cowdrey: What about the affordable homes program?

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Colton!

The Hon. N.F. COOK: There are also 350 properties owned currently by the Housing Authority—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Taylor! Member for Schubert!

The Hon. N.F. COOK: —that will be upgraded, with investment of between $50,000 and $100,000, to bring those back online, with many of those empty for the whole time of the previous government. There is also a stimulation maintenance program of 3,000 homes, which will have up to around $10,000 spent on each of those. That will help to make those homes much more livable and prolong the life of them.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. N.F. COOK: There is a piece of work going on at the moment as to how we improve the access and the amenity of public housing. In relation to the previous government's 1,000 affordable homes, which is due to end in 2025, over the past two years less than 60 have been sold. So, unless my math is completely out, that is a very slow output, very low yield result for public housing and other housing tenants.