Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-10-26 Daily Xml

Contents

Housing Affordability

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding housing. Can the minister please inform the council how the Marshall Liberal government continues to invest in new affordable and social housing for South Australians while also ensuring vital jobs are supported?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:12): I thank the honourable member for her question and for her interest in this area. Indeed, there are a range of programs in which the South Australian Housing Authority is investing, both through our own social housing and also through our non-government partners. There is a range of these, including Oaklands Park Renewal Project which is a joint consortium with Housing Renewal Australia and Junction Australia together with the South Australian Housing Authority.

We have our own neighbourhood renewal programs at Seaton, Felixstowe, Blair Athol and Woodville Gardens and we also have a site at Henley Beach, which is a partnership between the South Australian Housing Authority and Unity Housing. I was very pleased to be able to turn the sod at that particular site quite recently with the local member, Mr Matt Cowdrey.

That is a site which is close to the local high school, a lot of services and just down the road from the beach. When it is completed it will provide the opportunity for those people who live there with a great location, which for all the people who would be in the affordable properties would more than likely be out of reach.

The partnership means that what will be delivered is 42 townhouses and 28 apartments at what is currently a vacant site at 35 Henley Beach Road. Community housing provider Unity will retain 22 houses and five apartments for affordable rental. There will be 20 townhouses, which will be sold to market, and the South Australian Housing Authority will retain 23 apartments.

The construction for that site is about to commence. It is obviously going to provide a lot of jobs for people who are working in the building sector. The majority of those properties will be made available to people on low incomes. The social housing means that the amount that is charged is capped at the household income. For those in the affordable space, that's capped at a percentage discount from market rent. We look forward to that site being delivered in the near future and that construction will commence very shortly.