Housing—Albany and Collie
Brief ministerial statement
Mr John Carey (Perth—Minister for Housing and Works) (1:10 pm): I rise to inform the house about two new social housing projects that have been completed in regional Western Australia. First, community housing provider Advance Housing has recently completed construction on 12 new social homes in the Albany suburb of McKail, with the support of a $866,526—that is very specific—state government grant. The $5.2 million project comprises six two-storey developments. Each of the six buildings comprises a two-bedroom unit on the ground floor and a one-bedroom unit on the top floor. All units have been built to at least the Livable Housing Australia silver standard by local business Wauters Building Company, who are great people whom I have met, with ground-level units achieving gold level LHA standard. Additionally, all units have achieved an energy rating exceeding seven stars, which will contribute to reduced cost of living for tenants. Advance Housing will manage tenancies and maintenance of dwellings, which are designed to provide flexible accommodation options catering for a broad range of tenants, including couples and seniors.
The state government has also committed $25 million to support the delivery of 51 new affordable homes in Albany, which will also be delivered by Advance Housing. These new developments will soon provide diverse housing options to vulnerable members of the Albany community, including seniors and those living with disabilities.
Finally, our government has completed six more homes for social housing in the South West town of Collie. The one-bedroom timber frame dwellings were designed by Bunbury-based H+H Architects and have been built to Livable Housing Australia gold level standard by Shelford Constructions. These six new dwellings will soon also become available to seniors and those people living with disabilities. This project has been a great opportunity for local jobs and to provide long-term accessible housing in the region.
We are partnering with community housing providers to ensure we can provide more social and affordable housing across the state. We are also investing in alternative construction methods such as modular and prefabricated homes and timber frame builds to accelerate social housing delivery across WA. Our government has invested a record $5.8 billion in housing and homelessness programs since 2021 and has delivered more than 3,500 social homes.
