The WA Labor Minister for Housing today announced an additional five houses are to be built in the East Kimberley – with a total of 16 new houses underway, 10 in Kununurra, 4 in Wyndham and 2 in Halls Creek.
This is too little, too late. After months and weeks of being aware of the problem at hand, WA Labor has at last decided to act and in so doing, not gone far enough.
“With a multi-billion-dollar surplus, this tiny investment is a slap in the face for the local people that understand the overcrowded housing is a fundamental factor in the rising youth anti-social behaviour,” said the Hon Neil Thomson MLC, Member for Mining and Pastoral.
“In an era of record surpluses – and record crime in the Kimberley, the McGowan Government is waiting for the construction boom to ease before they invest in the future of youth in the Kimberley.”
Meanwhile, the local communities will be living rough, children in overcrowded situations where they don’t have their own bed, let alone their own room.
“We need to invest in our communities, we need to ensure there is a bright future for our young people and housing is fundamental to that outcome,” said the Shadow Minister for Housing, the Hon Steve Martin MLC.
“If this McGowan Labor Government was serious about addressing local issues at the local level, it would listen to the views of the major community groups, the experts and local constituents.
“The fact that people continue to struggle despite these announcements is an affront to this McGowan Labor Government’s legacy.”
