Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're not just talking about housing; Labor is building it. I'm thrilled that works have commenced in Swan for 171 new affordable apartments in Rivervale. This isn't just a construction update; this is real, tangible change for people in our community.

I want to take a moment to talk about who those people are because behind every one of these 171 homes is a story that deserves to be told. Think about the nurse who finishes a double shift at 2 am and faces a long commute home because she simply cannot afford to live close to the hospital where she works. Think about the veteran who served our country with honour and dedication who now struggles to find a stable and affordable place to call home. These are the people that these homes are for. These are people who served our community, and they deserve to live in the community where they live and work. We would love to call them our neighbours.

Thanks to the Albanese government and the Housing Australia Future Fund, this development will deliver homes in well-connected locations, close to public transport such as the Great Eastern Highway and the Graham Farmer Freeway. It's only five kilometres from the CBD and also close to essential services. Let's be honest. All Australians deserve to live in a home. These affordable homes will be prioritised for frontline workers, seniors, veterans, Indigenous Australians and women at risk of homelessness, including those who are leaving domestic violence relationships. This means that the people who hold our community together will not be priced out of it. This is a huge win for Swan.

I want to take a moment to talk about how it's being built because it is genuinely awesome. This is a 12-storey development using prefabricated construction technology with structural components manufactured right here in WA but not onsite. They are manufactured offsite. By building those elements offsite and assembling them in Rivervale, the team is able to deliver this with greater speed and consistency. So, what's the result? These homes will be ready around six months sooner than a traditional build would allow. And, as one of the builders put it, every month cut from a construction program is another month sooner that a nurse, a teacher or a family doing it tough has a secure home to come back to—or, the quicker we build it, the quicker a house becomes a home. That's what real leadership looks like: practical investment and homes built smarter, faster, better.