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Other Parliamentary SpeechesThis page is dedicated to Peter's speeches during parliament that do not fall under Questions or Questions without notice. They range from debating legislation, reporting on events or issues in his seat of Southport and his Ministerial Statements.
Seniors Accomodation, Southport |
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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Apr 30 2003 |
| Other Speeches >> |
Mr LAWLOR (Southport-ALP) (12.27 a.m.): I draw to the attention of the House the great work that is being done by the Minister for Public Works and Minister for Housing, Robert Schwarten, particularly in relation to a building which he opened recently and which cost $1.6 million, a building which houses seniors in Southport. This project provided work for 66 local apprentices who gained onthe-job experience across a range of trades during the construction of the 10 one-bedroom seniors units in Railway Street, Southport.
This latest housing project is continuing proof of the state government's commitment to provide additional affordable housing on the Gold Coast. Five ground floor units have been built to adaptable housing standards to ensure the accommodation can easily be modified to meet the requirements of tenants with special needs. Using adaptable design is a smart initiative of the state government to reduce the long-term costs associated with delivering housing for all Queenslanders. In total the Beattie government has invested more than $47 million on the Gold Coast in housing. This includes constructing 270 new public housing dwellings and upgrading 530 houses.
The units that were recently opened by the Hon. Rob Schwarten were named after the late Joan Muirhead, who was an active member of the Southport community. Joan was a founding member of the Southport Workers Community Club and a dedicated lobbyist for a better bus transit centre which has now come to pass. She is remembered as a being hardworking and dedicated member of the Southport community, and it is an honour to recognise her life by naming these units after her. The units are in an ideal location, close to public and shopping facilities, which will be of great benefit to the tenants. By providing affordable and secure housing, we can continue to improve the quality of life for all Gold Coast seniors.
Mr Schwarten said that $240,000 of the total project budget had been allocated to train apprentices in carpentry, electrical, painting and plumbing. It is interesting to note that, despite what appears to be a reduction of $175 million in the next housing agreement, Rob Schwarten is still doing a great job in relation to public housing on the Gold Coast. That relates to the Public Rental Housing Program where a total of $9.78 million has been spent since 17 February 2001.
There are also other programs like the Long Term Community Housing Program where funding of $875,000 has been allocated to the Southport Crisis Accommodation Program, which provides funds for not-for-profit incorporated community based organisations and local governments for the purchase, construction and upgrade of lease accommodation, capital funding, et cetera. That amounts to almost $1 million. This contrasts with the miserly attitude of the federal government in reducing the-
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Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 12:00 AM
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