Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Celebrate not! In Western Australia, we're at the halfway mark of the McGowan government's second term, and there is no cause for celebration. Western Australians have buyer's remorse after re-electing Premier McGowan and his Labor team just over two years ago. A few points will demonstrate why Labor's Mark McGowan is being marked down by Western Australians. Whether it's homelessness, a crisis in the construction industry or escalating law and order issues, WA families are feeling the pain of WA Labor.

With average rents at record highs and vacancies at all-time lows, many Western Australians are now urgently seeking social housing, with almost 34,000 people on the social housing waiting list, including 9,000 on the priority waiting list. The latest figures indicate there are now at least 300 fewer public housing properties in WA than there were in 2017, and 1,857 of them were sitting vacant in January. The Labor government's flagship homelessness project, East Perth Common Ground, which was to consist of 100 units, is nowhere to be seen. After three years, all that vulnerable people have is the opportunity to look at an empty lot. That's despite the deaths last year of more 100 people who were experiencing homelessness.

For those lucky enough to be able to buy a home, WA Labor is keeping them waiting. WA's building industry is in crisis under Labor's watch. Over a hundred building companies have gone bust in the past year alone due to challenges exacerbated by Labor's lack of a plan to deal with labour shortages and supply chain issues. The lengthy construction build times are putting increasing pressure on WA families when they can least afford it. It's true; the Premier did act—and made the matter worse. It's time for WA Labor to lift its game.