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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-07 Daily Xml
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Public Housing

Mrs PEARCE (King) (14:45): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier inform the house of any significant initiatives to improve public housing supplies in South Australia?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:45): Can I thank the member for King for her really important question, because this government is absolutely committed to seeking to address the housing supply crisis that is being endured throughout the nation, and that includes here in South Australia.

I've got to say that there are a number of elements to that policy that has been put together through the leadership of the Treasurer in particular, in conjunction with the Minister for Human Services and the Minister for Planning, but one that I am particularly proud of is the decision by this government to dramatically change public housing policy in South Australia.

To appreciate the size of the investment and the commitment the state government has made, history in context matters here. For 29 of the last 30 years in South Australia, there has been a net decrease in public housing stock in South Australia. Despite the fact that our population has grown quite substantially over the course of 30 years, in 29 of those 30 years we have decreased public housing stock. In the one year when public housing stock increased in net terms, from memory, I think it was approximately by six houses. This is a shameful statistic.

To be clear, I think it is an indictment on governments of both political persuasions, both Labor and Liberal. But it is certainly the case and worthy of note that under the leadership of the former Minister for Human Services, the Hon. Michelle Lensink, there was a baked-in government policy decision, of her making, to sell public housing stock, for which I believe—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is warned for a second time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —the former Minister for Human Services should be deeply ashamed, particularly given—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is on three warnings.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —her espousal of values around social justice and what have you. But this government doesn't talk those values; we are actually putting them into action. That is why as part of our plan for more public housing this government is committing an additional $55.2 million over the next four years into additional public housing. The outcome of that is a lot more public homes than what would otherwise be the case, somewhere in excess of 1,000 additional homes in public housing in South Australia.

Why does this matter? Well, it matters not just because the policy is different from governments that have preceded us but because putting a roof over someone's head is more than just a social policy. In fact, on this side the house, we believe it is a significantly important economic policy. It is important to appreciate that when the Housing Trust was first established, it was done so as an economic driver of activity, with the view of providing affordable houses for working people.

We know that sometime later, in today's context, putting a roof over someone's head actually does more than just give them somewhere safe to live; it dramatically improves the likelihood of them engaging in our society in a more productive way. That is to say, if you give someone who is ostensibly homeless a roof over their head and access to secure accommodation, it gives them the capacity and the ability to seek to participate in the labour market, for instance.

That is a big deal, because we need more people engaging in the labour market in South Australia, not fewer. We want to see our participation rate continue to go up, and we want that to go up including from people from low socio-economic communities or people who are socially disadvantaged through being homeless. That's why we have made this record investment, and that's why this government is proud to depart from policies past and do something big on public housing.

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