Interview with ABC South East Breakfast

EDDIE WILLIAMS: Housing is one of the key issues in this region and right across the country, really. The Federal Government has had a plan for 1.2 million new homes around Australia by the end of the decade, but new forecasts from Oxford Economics this week suggest the government will fall about 260,000 homes short of that target. So what does this all mean in the South East? 

Kristy McBain is the Member for Eden-Monaro at the Federal Minister for Regional Development. Good morning, is the government falling behind on these housing targets? 

KRISTY MCBAIN: You can see from a lack of action over the last decade that we are already behind. You previously had a federal government that wasn't committed to their share of housing funding, which is why you've seen this large increase in federal government housing funding over our three budgets. $32 billion in housing measures, including money to train tradies in housing and construction, because obviously we need those tradies coming through our apprenticeship schemes to help build the homes for tomorrow. There has been a big investment and we are getting on with the job of delivering more homes to the country. There's also been some setbacks, and you can see in our region alone we started significantly short of where we should have been, through natural disasters. As is the case in other parts of the country like Lismore and Eugowra, who have been impacted by a significant flooding events as well. We've got some work to do in building up the stock that we previously had, and adding new housing stock onto the market. 

WILLIAMS: What does that look like around the South East? What are the sorts of new homes that the region needs on the market? Where might they be? 

MCBAIN: You can see the significant investment made last year by the Minns Labor Government, in conjunction with the Albanese Government, into redeveloping the old Bega TAFE site, to make sure that we can accommodate people through unit living, through townhouse living and through detached single dwellings as well. There always has to be a mix of housing coming onto our market, because we know people, through their different decades, will need different types of housing. Whether that's for a single person or for a family, we've got to provide options. That mixed use development at the old Bega TAFE site is an example of our governments working together, in conjunction with the local council, to make sure that there will be a mix of housing coming onto the market there. 

WILLIAMS: The state government's also been talking about modular housing elsewhere in New South Wales. If it is taking longer than expected to build all these new homes, is modular housing an option in the interim? 

MCBAIN: We've got to look at all options. That modular housing, which has been talked about by the Minns Labor Government and will be delivered in parts of Wollongong and Lake Macquarie, is really important to add to the mix. A couple of months ago when I was in Wollongong for a kids sporting competition, we were staying at a caravan park and the cabin had been built by apprentice tradies from the local TAFE. It's really important that we are working with the TAFE sector, to make sure we're training up those tradies to build the homes that we need going forward. 

I've also seen some really innovative projects out in Dubbo. They have tendered out for the 3D printing of a house, which will take a significantly shorter amount of time. There are a range of people and organisations trialling new things to see what works, and hopefully that will lead us to some more solutions going forward. 

WILLIAMS: In other news, Woodside Oil and Gas Company based in WA, they've been buying a number of sheep and cattle farms in the Monaro. They're going to plant native trees and shrubs and get certified carbon credits to offset their emissions from other projects elsewhere in the country. Some local farmers concerned about the impact on communities when properties are converted from farming to native vegetation. What do you make of this? 

MCBAIN: It's right for some land owners to be concerned with the sale of these sheep and cattle farms and what it might meafor remaining farmland and for local economies. Our region is really proud of our local communities and the economies that it supports, as it should be. Any land sale is obviously a matter for the owners, but it is really important that any landowner plays their part, so that they don't have a significant adverse impacts on neighbouring properties, particularly farming operations. We don't want to see disruptions to the social fabric of where we live, particularly across the Monaro. You'd be saying to those landholders that they have a responsibility for weed and pest management. They've got a responsibility for land management in general, because we've seen what happens when fire comes through a community. I'd be making sure that they are held to account, to make sure that they take care of their responsibilities as a landowner. 

WILLIAMS: A lot of interest in the improvements happening for Brown Mountain. What's the latest there? 

MCBAIN: On Brown Mountain, we've got significant works taking place at the moment, dealing with some landslip issues on two separate parts of the mountain. At the moment, we've got those soil nails being driven into the side of the mountain to stabilise that and to ensure that we won't see those continual landslips. It's incredibly frustrating for commuters, as is that added delay for passenger vehicles and freight vehicle movements. This is the largest repair work that's ever happened on Brown Mountain. Over $5 million worth of work happening between the state and federal governments at this point in time. We'll continue to work with New South Wales as they undertake some more planning work for additional repairs. 

WILLIAMS: Kristy McBain, good to talk this morning. 

MCBAIN: Always good to speak with you.