Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I've just heard members opposite pledge that they want to build more homes in Australia. Talk is cheap. You can have the best policy in the world, but unless you provide the money and the approvals, you'll never build a house. I will give you three examples of how committed Labor really is to building homes, particularly in the regions.

The first one is the Valla Urban Growth Area. The overview is that 700 residential dwellings, 150 industrial lots and 100 business premises are planned. A school and a retirement village are included in the plans. It's ready to go. It's expected to support up to 1,500 jobs and boost local employment opportunities. There's $17 million allocated by Nambucca Valley Council. There's $10 million that has been allocated by previous federal and state coalition governments. There will be the creation of a self-sufficient community with residential, commercial and industrial zones; the development of a new town centre and shop services; employment opportunities; and provision of recreational spaces, both passive and active, with a natural environment. How do you think it went under Labor's Regional Precincts and Partnership Program? It was rejected. That's 700 homes rejected. Availability of rentals in this area is less than one per cent, and Labor say, 'We want to build homes.' Sorry—rejected.

The second example is in Coffs Harbour, and I'm sure Labor will support this because it goes towards social and affordable housing. The Argyll estate was initially designed to provide affordable housing options in Coffs Harbour, addressing housing shortages and supporting community growth. The redevelopment aimed to transform the estate into a mixed-use residential community, integrating social and private housing to meet diverse housing demands. The estate was included under housing programs jointly funded by the federal and state governments, aimed at boosting social housing stock. There was $40 million allocated for the redevelopment of the Argyll estate, focusing on increasing social housing units while integrating modern infrastructure. The redevelopment plans initially targeted the creation of nearly 500 homes. What do you think happened when Labor got into federal government and state government? What do you think happened to that $40 million funding? It got swept. The project was canned.

They are two projects in my electorate that have been canned by Labor—1,200 homes. That is Labor's commitment to building homes in the regions. How's that for commitment? You can have as much policy as you like, and words are cheap if you don't follow through.

The third one—and I find this the most offensive one—is Watson Place, Bellingen. There was $5 million committed by the coalition state government and $5 million committed by the coalition federal government. An old rundown aged-care facility was committed by the Royal Freemasons Benevolent Institution. They planned 40 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units for women over 55 suffering domestic violence or homelessness. Because of COVID and costs going up, because of the increases, they needed an additional $6 million to build those 40 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. We asked. What was the response?

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