Public Housing

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the minister representing the Minister for Planning on the topic of public housing.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: Today, the ABC reported that more than 300 public housing residents at Seaton will be forced to move out of their homes during demolition and construction of new houses and townhouses as part of plans to redevelop the area. In Victoria earlier this year, public housing residents filed a class action against the Victorian Labor government over their plans to knock down and redevelop their homes. One of the residents involved in the Victorian class action said the process had:

…taken an emotional and physical toll on me and my community... We are still being kept in the dark. The government keeps telling public housing residents that they have plans, but they still haven't told us what the plans are. I don't know where I am going to be living or where I might end up, and the government isn't giving us the information we need to make decisions.

My questions to the Minister for Planning, therefore, are:

1. How does the government intend to accommodate public housing residents who are being forced out of their homes when housing vacancies are at a record low?

2. What is the government doing to support these people through the transition?

3. Can it assure the people of South Australia that it will not repeat the mistakes that have been made by the Victorian Labor government?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:31): I thank the honourable member for his questions. I will refer those to the minister in the other place and bring back a response.