Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Payne for her question. Senator Payne, I know, is responsible for the COAG area and asks many questions in this chamber about COAG, in particular with respect to housing. In terms of housing, while COAG has processes, what I am concerned about as a minister who deals with social housing and affordable housing day in and day out is results. We are working with our state and territory colleagues to get results in the areas of affordable housing, Indigenous housing and social housing.

I have spoken in this chamber on a number of occasions about the work that we have done in terms of the social housing initiative. Already almost 14½ thousand units and premises have been built with the federal government working with the state government, which will help many people who are homeless get access to housing. We have also provided 80,000 repairs under the social housing initiative. As I reported to the Senate, we have now constructed 20,000 dwellings when you include NRAS, the national partnership on social housing—