Jennie George (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing and Minister for the Status of Women. What are the government’s housing programs delivering in south-west Sydney? Are there any risks to the delivery of these and other government programs?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to first thank the member for Throsby for her question. I know that she cares deeply about the social housing that is being constructed in her electorate from the stimulus spending in education and community projects because she has been a fierce and effective advocate for the people of the Illawarra. She is a supporter of the new services and the new buildings that are being constructed and, very importantly, the new jobs that go with them in the Illawarra. But she has asked me about south-west Sydney, and I am pleased to be able to say that I was in south-west Sydney the other day, visiting the electorate of Macarthur. I wanted to have a look at some of the terrific new stimulus spending on public housing that is happening in the electorate of Macarthur and particularly in the suburb of Rosemeadow. I had a look at a 57-unit development that is being purpose-built for seniors in Rosemeadow. No doubt the member for Macarthur has seen it. The units have been designed for seniors with all of the features that they need—grab rails in the bathrooms, detachable hand-held shower heads, wide corridors for walkers and wheelchairs, as well as six-star energy efficiency rating. The cost of living in these properties is lower because the energy bills are lower.

Very importantly, this new construction is supporting jobs in the area. We were shown around the site by Steve Fussell, the project manager for Watpac Ltd—a construction company that is working on projects right across New South Wales. Steve told us that on an average day there would be about 60 people working on this site—that is, 60 people who would not be working on that site if the member for Macarthur and all of the members opposite had had their way on stimulus spending. Steve said that he had worked through other downturns and has had to lay people off. He knew the difference between laying people off and putting people on, which is what he had been doing during the downturn.

We met Martin Munro, the National General Manager of Watpac, who told us that the stimulus plan had got it right and that, because private construction work had not fully recovered, the work that they were getting from the stimulus package was more important than ever. If you have a look at those ABS statistics that I mentioned to the shadow minister for housing—he is not paying much attention now, obviously—you will see that one in seven of the private dwellings being constructed are either public housing, funded through the stimulus, or private dwellings bought off the plan and also part of the stimulus package. All those jobs would not be there if the opposition had had their way on the stimulus package.

When it came to the stimulus, it was not just housing they opposed. Look at what was happening in Macarthur when the member for Macarthur and all of the members opposite opposed all of those other stimulus measures. They did not want the one in seven homes to be constructed. They do not want the 51,000 working people of Macarthur to benefit from the superannuation increases that they would achieve if the resource super profits tax is passed. They do not want the 8,436 small businesses in Macarthur to benefit from the instant write-offs of up to $5,000. They do not want those 8,436 small businesses to benefit from the drop in the company tax rate from 30 per cent to 28 per cent. They did not want the schools of Macarthur to benefit from the 141 projects and the $114.3 million being spent on school—

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Speaker: this was a question from the member for Throsby about housing in south-west Sydney. For the last 30 seconds, this answer has had nothing to do with housing in south-west Sydney.

Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Adams interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Lyons is warned. The construction of the question goes to the risk to ‘these and other government programs’, which might be considered to allow some wriggle room. However, I do not think that too much comfort should be taken that a minister can, on that basis, talk about every government program. So I would ask that, having got this far, the minister goes to her conclusion.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am referring to these programs because they are also part of the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan along with the social housing package. It is distressing that the members opposite not only do not want to hear about what is happening in the electorate of Macarthur but also actually voted against jobs in the electorate of Macarthur. They voted against computers in schools—a thousand computers for the schools of Macarthur. They voted against $1½ million for three black spot projects in the electorate of Macarthur. They voted against 25 community infrastructure projects.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Andrews interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Menzies will resume his seat and the minister will conclude her answer.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am concluding, Mr Speaker—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and I take advice from the Speaker, not from you. The Liberals opposed all of these projects—these new homes, these computers in schools, these school upgrades, these park upgrades and these road upgrades—and they opposed every single one of the jobs that went with them.