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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-06-29 Daily Xml
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SOCIAL HOUSING

Mr KENYON (Newland) (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Housing. Can the minister advise the house of what the federal government's social housing economic stimulus package will mean for South Australians?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:34): I thank the member for his question, and am very pleased to inform the house of South Australia's progress towards its social housing commitments under the Nation Building-Economic Stimulus Plan. South Australia has been allocated $352.4 million for the construction of 1,360 homes. The deadline stipulated under the Nation Building Program posed a real challenge. The federal government required 173 new homes completed in stage 1 by 30 June 2010, and in stage 2 a further 1,100 additional dwellings by the end of December this year, with more complex projects, such as the UNO apartment building I spoke about last week, requiring completion by 2012. In total, the building program will deliver 1,360 new homes.

It is with great pride that I advise the house that we have met our stage 1 target of 173 completed homes. Weather permitting, I am told we should have 200 houses fully completed and approved when the first deadline arrives tomorrow afternoon.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: We will talk about the Liberal Party's commitment to social housing.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We will listen to the minister in silence, please.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Bragg!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Not only have we exceeded our target, I am also advised that the building program is running under budget. This is a great achievement by all those involved and I would like to pay tribute to the Coordinator-General—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Waite!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —my staff in the Department for Families and Communities, Housing SA and the many builders and contractors who have cooperated to ensure that we successfully reached our target, providing better housing for those in greatest need. We know that the Nation Building Program was opposed by the federal Liberals, we know they opposed it, and we have faced opposition from members of this house to the new social housing in various parts of South Australia. On any given day, I receive letters from Liberal MPs (federal and state) seeking housing for constituents. Then, when we are undertaking the biggest build in 20 years, they scream—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —because they do not want them in their area, or they consider the area too good—

Mr WILLIAMS: I rise on a point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for MacKillop on a point of order.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Croydon!

Mr WILLIAMS: The minister was asked a question about federal policy, but she is now debating the answer.

The SPEAKER: There is so much noise, I can hardly hear what she is saying. Minister.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I am just making the point that on any given day I receive letters from members of parliament—on this side of the house, from that side of the house, from federal MPs—saying they want housing for their constituents, but when we are building these nation building homes in their areas they start screaming because they do not want them in their street.

Mr WILLIAMS: I rise on a point of order, Madam Speaker: now that you have had the opportunity to hear the minister, I again make the point of order that she is debating the answer.

The SPEAKER: Minister, have you finished your answer? I refer you back to the question.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I wonder whether they tell the people they write to me about that they are happy to support them getting housing, as long as it is not in the so-called 'good' areas in their electorate, as long as they do not move into their—

Mr GARDNER: I rise on a point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr GARDNER: No. 127: the minister is clearly imputing motives on members on this side of the chamber.

The SPEAKER: I would ask the minister to return to the question.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: We have had submissions from councils wanting housing for workers. They want workers, they want housing for them, but for some: 'Not in our street, thank you.' The truth is that the Liberals are not supporters of public housing, or affordable housing, for that matter.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, the minister is again debating and there is no relevance in the answer to the question that she was asked: what would be the impact of the federal policy? Madam Speaker, every time that I make a point of order, the minister gets to her feet and rants on again, having a general slag at the opposition, before you have an opportunity to make a ruling.

The SPEAKER: I think the question is very open-ended—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Sit down, member for MacKillop. The question is very open-ended, but I would ask the minister to refer back to the question.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Thank you, Madam Speaker, but every time I get up to speak about housing I am bombarded—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I can't hear the minister.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —by interjections questioning this government's sincerity in delivering social housing. I am just trying to point out where they are coming from. It is this Rann Labor government, in partnership with the federal Labor government, delivering real outcomes in sustainable mixed communities—affordable housing and social inclusion. We are building houses that will accommodate people with disabilities, domestic violence victims and their children—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Here we go again—and they wonder. Can we talk about their policies? We are committed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I remind members that question—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Member for Waite!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: We are committed to affordable housing. Their policy was to scrap the 15 per cent affordable housing in new developments. Their policy was to move tenants into aged walk-up flats. Their policy was to have inspections whether or not the tenants were home. Their policy was to transition tenants into private rental—that was a good one. We are building houses that will accommodate people with disabilities, domestic violence victims and their children, children leaving care, people at risk of homelessness. These homes will be six-star energy rated and the vast majority will be disability accessible, and 20 to 25 per cent will be provided in country regions. I had the great pleasure a couple of weeks ago of meeting a grandmother—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Can we hear the minister's answer?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —who received one of the first of our country houses to be finished. She had been living in a shed. She was caring for her grandchild who had a range of problems; a very good woman who had been doing it tough. This home meant the world to her. It meant both her and her grandchild were safe and secure, and they were living in their community. That is what this construction program is about delivering—

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I think it is standing order 131 about interruptions. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition persistently interjects. I note that he is otherwise known to be a stickler for the standing orders. I wonder whether he could observe that one.

The SPEAKER: I uphold that point of order. This is going on and on and on, and I draw members' attention to the time. Minister.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Member for MacKillop!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: As I said, this woman felt she and her grandchild now had a safe and secure place to live in their community. That is what this construction program—delivering 1,360 new homes—means. These outcomes are being delivered on time and on budget, and I look forward to reporting on our future social housing achievements.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for MacKillop, you have a very loud, vocal voice; you must have been good on the farm rounding up the sheep!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will not call the member for Davenport until there is quiet.

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