Southern Suburbs Housing Supply

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (14:47): My question is for the Minister for Housing and Urban Development. How will the Malinauskas government unlock critical housing supply in the southern suburbs?

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION (Taylor—Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Housing Infrastructure, Minister for Planning) (14:47): I thank the member for her question. This morning we were down at Port Stanvac on a beach that you can't get public access to. The Premier and I were doing a press conference, the first press conference I have done on a beach. What you are left with when you stand on that beach is just an appreciation of how incredibly beautiful and iconic this site is at Port Stanvac. It seems incredible that from 2003 to now—20 years—this vital piece of land has just sort of sat there underutilised, unutilised. It does seem somewhat shocking when you are standing at that point.

The really critical thing today is that we have a development partner in MAB, who have done a deal with ExxonMobil to acquire the site, so now we can see action happening: 3,600 homes, 540 of which will be affordable sale. That is an incredibly important housing outcome for the southern suburbs, where we know housing is under pressure. Employment lands, again really constrained in the southern suburbs, so important employment lands, a good mixed-use precinct right next to Lonsdale Railway Station, right next to public transport, right next to good roads but, most importantly, 40 hectares of coastline, of beach coming back into the public realm.

What a magnificent outcome, not just for the southern suburbs, but for the whole state, because we all use those coastal parks which governments of all persuasions have invested in over the last 10 years. Some $50 million over the last 10 years has gone into those coastal parks up and down that coast. So there will be incredibly important housing outcomes and employment outcomes on this site, a 230-hectare site, sporting fields. This will be a really magnificent outcome for the people of South Australia.

This land has been identified in the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan. It is important for that reason. The Premier met with ExxonMobil in May last year. We are really committed to engaging with landholders and engaging with developers to make sure we push supply into the pipeline, because we know that land supply is not easy. It is complex, it is difficult, it is hard, it takes time to do it properly and get good communities. To do good planning, to do good infrastructure takes time, and so we are always pushing these projects into the system.

I can tell you the government that didn't push projects into the system. It is interesting that I should quote the former member for Black just at this time. The former member for Black—these are his words on 17 August, just last year, 2023. Just last year, he said:

I don't think when we—

the Marshall Liberal government—

were in government we necessarily got the land release side of things right and the availability of land for housing is a big problem around Adelaide and in the regions as well.

What that was was a candid admission by the former member for Black that the former government never got housing supply right.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: The minister will sit down. The deputy leader?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Thank you, sir. Standing order 98.

The SPEAKER: I uphold that point of order and I do remind the minister, as I have before, that those people on my left were very quiet until you started poking and prodding the bear. If you could maybe just stick to the work that you have done and the government has done, it is probably going to be a little calmer in here. Thank you, minister.

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION: Speaker, I always take your advice, sensibly. When I was younger, I ignored Speakers, but now I always take account of what they tell me. The only thing that I was trying to endeavour to inform the house was that housing supply is a pipeline and we have to keep on pushing projects into it. Whether it's Franklin Street, whether it's West End or whether it's Bowden, these are projects which often last over the decades and so it is important if we are to deliver housing for the people of South Australia that we keep doing that.