Answers to Questions

State Budget

In reply to the Hon. M.C. PARNELL (11 November 2020).

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer): I have been advised:

1. The government met this commitment and provided an additional $7.5 million per annum for 10 years to the South Australian Housing Authority (SAHA). The preventative maintenance expenditure budget is included in the SA Housing Authority's capital investment program, which can be found in the 2020-21 budget, Budget Paper 3, chapter 5, page 75, refer to Public Housing Capital Maintenance program.

Please note that $10 million was brought forward into 2019-20 and 2020-21 as part of the government's stimulus and economic recovery package. Details on this measure can be found in the 2020-21 budget, Budget Paper 5, page 133.

Consistent with the commitment, SAHA is on track to spend $9.7 million on preventative maintenance in 2020-21, including the portion of the $10 million brought forward into 2020-21.

2. The government met this commitment and provided an additional $2 million per annum for 10 years to SAHA. The increase in the provision for emergency accommodation and transitional housing for people in need, including women and children affected by family violence and people experiencing homelessness, is included in the SA Housing Authority's operating budget which can be found in Budget Paper 3, chapter 5, page 71.

SA Housing Authority undertook an expression of interest process seeking innovative solutions from homelessness service providers. The competitive tender process resulted in the first $4.5 million being awarded to two new projects, which aim to deliver reductions in homelessness across the state.

3. The government has met this commitment and the five-year trial applies for relevant agreements entered into from 1 March 2020. The Affordable Community Housing Land Tax Exemption Pilot provides eligible property owners with ex gratia relief, equivalent to a land tax exemption for property they rent through a participating community housing provider for affordable housing purposes. Land tax ex gratia payments are recorded as a refund and remission expense in the Department of Treasury and Finance Administered Items Account, which can be found in the 2020-21 budget, Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 198.

The Affordable Community Housing Land Tax Exemption Pilot and the affordable housing land tax concession details are available on Revenue SA's website.

4. The government is meeting its commitment to install solar panels on 75 per cent of suitable existing public housing through the SA Virtual Power Plant project. The government is supporting the project through a $2 million grant and $20 million loan from the Renewable Technology Fund and $10 million grant from the Grid Scale Storage Fund. These commitments are reflected in the financial statements of the Department for Energy and Mining, which can be found in Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, pages 109 (refer to key agency outputs) and 120 (refer to Subprogram 1.6: Clean Energy Transition).

The trial phases of the SA Virtual Power Plant project involved 1,100 SA Housing Authority properties being fitted with solar and Tesla home battery systems. Installations under the trial phases were completed in 2019.

Tesla is now rolling out phase 3 of the SA Virtual Power Plant project to another 3,000 SA Housing Authority properties.

5. The government is meeting its commitment to install batteries, together with solar panels on 75 per cent of new public housing through the SA Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project. References in the budget papers are consistent with those set out in relation to solar panels above.

For 2020-21, SA Housing Authority will achieve a minimum of 75 per cent installation of batteries and solar panels for new public housing.