Question Time

Housing Construction

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): My question is to the Premier. How many houses have been built since the government's February 2023 media release and how many will be built by the 2026 state election? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: On the 12 February 2023, the government announced that it would release four land sites, with a promise that construction would begin in 2024.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:14): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question; in fact, there's a theme of important subject matters in respect of health and energy and now housing. In respect of housing, there are any number of policy actions or statistics that on this side of the house we can point to but, rather than listen to anything that I say, why don't we assess what the independent bodies would say about this government's housing policy?

The housing industry of Australia, one of the pre-eminent organisations that is a national body, a national industry body, that represents housing construction providers in this country—whether it be construction companies or whether it be developers—most recently, in recent weeks in fact, conducted a nationwide analysis ranking every state around the country in terms of housing policy and they gave them a score out of 10. South Australia was given nine out of 10, which made us an unambiguous first in the nation in respect of housing policies that have been instituted by this government.

The opposition might seek to dismiss the housing industry of Australia. Well, how about the Business Council of Australia? What are they saying with respect to this government's housing policy? The BCA again puts South Australia ranked number one in the country with respect to our housing policies, amongst other examples. How about in terms of actual performance as distinct from policy settings? Again, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in their State of the States report, which assesses what is actually happening in new dwelling starts around the country, puts South Australia number one.

So you don't have to believe us, but I think there is an obligation upon those opposite to actively consider whether or not they should believe the independent associations who don't go out of their way to do one government a favour over another—

Mr TEAGUE: Point of order, sir: standing order 98(a). The question was very specifically about the number of houses built since a media release on 12 February 2023. The Premier is self-evidently debating the question in the broad. The question asked for a specific answer on houses built.

The SPEAKER: We have been over this a few times. The Premier and ministers have four minutes to answer questions, and they are allowed to provide background and supporting information and evidence, and I think from what I am hearing from the Premier, that's what he is doing. He is painting a picture of what the housing industry is up to in South Australia.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: To go to the specifics of the Leader of the Opposition's question: I know the Leader of the Opposition knows this, he does pay attention to basic cursory principles, and that is that people who build homes in South Australia by and large are private landowners, private developers and the industry themselves. We do not submit to anybody, least of all the opposition and the alleged party of free enterprise, that it should be government's responsibility to build every home in this state.

We believe in building homes—don't get me wrong. We do believe that Renewal SA should be activist. We do believe that Renewal SA should be partnered with the private sector and make interventions in places like Southwark and Prospect Corner and Seaton and the other developments that we are undertaking but, by and large, those active investments by government are actually quite distinct and comparatively small to the overwhelming majority of housing development in this state that happens in the private sector. So we don't build the homes, they do.

Our job isn't to sit around and score them. Our job is to make sure that we are putting in place the policy framework that allows them to do what they do well. To that end, if you believe in the power of the market, if you believe in the private sector as we do in this government, we work in partnership with them. They are saying, 'Let us get on with the job, these are the actions we want you to undertake,' and we are delivering for them, and those independent rankings speak volumes to that end.