HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT LAND SUPPLY PROGRAM

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Urban Development and Planning. Can the minister advise this chamber of the state government initiatives to ensure that a steady supply of land is available for new housing developments and also to support employment?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for his question. The Housing and Employment Land Supply Program is a critical tool supporting the implementation of the government's 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide. The government has set an ambitious policy to ensure a 25 year supply of land for future development which includes a 15 year supply of zoned land.

The Housing and Employment Land Supply Program will be vital for the successful implementation of the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide which is the most comprehensive planning strategy ever adopted by a state government, and it maximises South Australia's capacity to benefit from the opportunities arising from the growth in population over the next three decades.

Importantly, the Housing and Employment Land Supply Program will assist the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide with the land required, providing for steady population growth of 560,000 people, the construction of 258,000 additional homes, economic growth of $127.7 billion and also the creation of 282,000 additional jobs.

The zoning and release of sufficient land to the market is vital to the efficient and coordinated function of the land and housing development industry, the timely provision of vital infrastructure and the delivery of affordable housing. Through the annual monitoring of land consumption, population forecasting and market demand, the Housing and Employment Land Supply Program will enable progress towards meeting the 15 year zone supply target to be tracked and identify further opportunities for potential land to be rezoned.

Given that there are about seven to eight years of current zone supply, in its initial operating period, the Housing and Employment Land Supply Program will be a key information source assisting to drive rezoning. This program replaces and builds upon the previous metropolitan development program which was published periodically in various formats by planning departments since the 1980s, and the Metropolitan Adelaide Industrial Land Strategy. The program will therefore cover land supply for residential development and, for the first time, the employment needs of industrial and commercial activity.

Unlike those programs, the Housing and Employment Land Supply Program will be produced annually, enabling government to respond to emerging opportunities and constraints. The employment-related component of the program builds on the government's initiative in producing the Metropolitan Adelaide Industrial Land Strategy released in May 2007 representing the first attempt to set a policy framework to meet industry's short-term needs and to plan for longer term needs. That program, which included detailed modelling of land consumption rates as well as development-ready land, was strongly supported by industry.

The core aspects of that program will be replicated within the Housing and Employment Land Supply Program. The program's fundamental role is to ensure that there is sufficient land capacity to meet the annual housing and employment targets and that capacity is spread equitably across the regions to avoid market volatility. In addition, the Housing and Employment Land Supply Program will:

identify the total amount of land needed, with information about land that has been or is to be rezoned to meet the supply targets;

assist in planning by infrastructure agencies and utilities to ensure that infrastructure and new urban development is effectively and efficiently matched;

provide direction to the housing and land development industry in respect of their investment decision-making to be better placed to respond to changes in market demand; and

provide a spatial guide to local government that assists in aligning regional strategies with the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide.

The first report of the Housing and Employment Land Supply Program is nearing completion. Once finalised it is intended to undertake a targeted consultation process with industry to validate certain data sets and identify any gaps in the forecasted development activity over the next five years. The Housing and Employment Land Supply Program as part of the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide will ensure we maintain our strong economic growth, our lifestyle and housing affordability.

This program will ensure we have enough land for houses and jobs to remain competitive in the labour market and to ensure Adelaide's future as a vibrant, liveable, climate change resilient city.