Transcript

The Hon Tanya Plibersek – Minister for Housing

Hi, I’m Tanya Plibersek, the Federal Minister for Housing and I’d like to welcome you to this website about the Government's Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan.

In February we announced investment in public housing would be a key part of our stimulus effort and in May, I went to Yennora in Sydney and met the first family to move into a new house built under the social housing program.

This Government’s made the largest investment in social housing in Australian history to help repair run down houses and build new homes.

I am pleased to report that the program has been extremely successful so far.

Originally we planned to repair 2,500 run down homes that were already unliveable or would have had to have been sold off in the next few years.

Instead we are going to repair 60,000 homes – that means work like new kitchens, new bathrooms or paint jobs for properties across the country.

Over 10,000 homes will receive major repairs – saving them from the scrap heap.

We’ve also approved over $5 billion to build brand new social housing.

That includes purchases of house and land packages and apartments off the plan as well as projects from community housing organisations and public housing departments.

Work has already started on over a thousand projects with the first homes already built in several States and Territories.

That means that the social housing program is keeping builders and tradies in work at what would otherwise be an very difficult time.

It also means that there will be more homes available for vulnerable people in our community including people who are homeless.

To get more information, please follow the link on this page through to the FaHCSIA website.

Thanks