Government Country Housing

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister please advise what is being done to allow empty police houses to be used by government departmental staff, such as teachers? With your leave, Mr Deputy Speaker, and the leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: The Kalangadoo Police Station has been without a police officer for many years. Adjacent to that station is a perfectly good, relatively new home that has been empty for that time. My office has been contacted by a number of constituents who, quite rightly, would like to see this house utilised by other government staff. My office has been advised that this can't happen, as the house in question is managed by the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and therefore is deemed a single agency; location can only be used by SAPOL employees. We have a housing crisis in the region. What is the government doing to cut through the red tape so that these homes can be used by other government staff, such as teachers, nurses and doctors?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:55): That is a very good question—a very, very good question. The member for MacKillop, in his new-found independence, is able to, I think, expose a lot of the bureaucracy that goes on behind the scenes, and it has freed him up. The research that I had to do on this really, quite frankly, was extraordinary, given the level of bureaucracy in place.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, so, what my young friend is forgetting is that, now the member for MacKillop is an Independent, it gives him the ability to be able to reach out and actually ask questions rather than relying on the wisdom from the backbench over the top there.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Why are members—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The Minister for Police!

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Hammond, I don't need your assistance at this point in time. Minister.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I am advised, through my research, that the property was owned by the minister for government enterprises who was the predecessor to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. The Public Employees Housing Act 1987 is dedicated to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and the public employee under the act is defined as a person employed by the Crown, i.e., not specifically reserved for SAPOL. If it wasn't for the inquiries of the member, this may not have been discovered. On the surface of it, there's nothing preventing my department from allowing this property to be available for other key workers. On the basis of your advocacy, the work that we've done means that this property now is no longer hypothecated just to SAPOL.

What we are doing now is I will be writing to my friend the police minister and SAPOL seeking confirmation of what the home's future use is. If SAPOL return that direction to me in an appropriate time, we can make this housing available for key public servants, like teachers, in the middle of the housing crisis.

There are small victories that members of parliament can have, and this is a good small victory for common sense. Cut through red tape, cut the green tape, cut through the bureaucracy, got to the heart of matter, got government working to get this done. I apologise for the delay that it has taken. I thank the member for MacKillop on his advocacy and his hard work. I think he is showing everyone in this chamber what a hardworking regional member can achieve, especially if they are an Independent.