MILLERS POINT PUBLIC HOUSING

Legislative Council, 11 September 2014

 

The Hon. NIALL BLAIR: My question is addressed to the Minister for Fair Trading in that capacity and in his capacity representing the Minister for Finance and Services. Will the Minister update the House on recent sales of public housing properties at Millers Point and allegations of under quoting?

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: I thank the member for this timely question because there are two more property sales occurring tonight. I know the Hon. Sophie Cotsis will be delighted to welcome those auctions. It has been a successful process. I will reflect upon that for a moment. The Hon. Sophie Cotsis stated:

These secret auctions show the Government is more concerned with a quick cash grab, rather than the best interests of taxpayers and the current tenants of these properties.

The Liberals claims they want to invest the revenue from the sales in new public housing but there is no evidence of that in the budget.

Is that not interesting? I have attempted to educate the Opposition to understand budgeting in this State. The reality is that you cannot spend money you do not have. It is a fundamental budget principle. The Government has made it clear on a number of occasions that it will go through an orderly process and seek to maximise the proceeds from the sale of the properties.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: I guarantee that every single dollar will go into social housing in this State. That is how it should be. The proceeds from that investment will realise three times more social housing in places where people will be able to use that social housing.

The PRESIDENT: Order! I call the Hon. Sophie Cotsis to order for the first time.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: As members are aware this process is being overseen by an independent project facilitator and undertaken by Government Property NSW through a very well-managed public sales process. I congratulate the Minister for Finance and Services and the Minister for Family and Community Services for a robust process that is delivering significant proceeds to the State. Six properties were part of the pilot program launched on 12 July. Two properties have been sold. The first property, at 119 Kent Street, was sold at auction for $1.911 million, which was very much in excess of the reserve price and the expected price in the market. That led to the request for an inquiry by the member opposite.

The second property, at 29 Lower Fort Street, was sold for $2.56 million. Two more properties will be sold tonight. We have a process that delivers magnificent proceeds to the Government. Those proceeds will be reinvested in social housing. The Opposition is carping about the reality of that sales process being successful. They are carping that the process is too successful. They said that an investigation into under quoting was necessary. So they wrote a letter to the Commissioner for Fair Trading. No-one complained except the member opposite.

The PRESIDENT: Order! I call the Hon. Sophie Cotsis to order for the second time.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: What happened? The Commissioner for Fair Trading conducted an investigation and wrote the member a letter. Has she received it yet? What did it show? There are no issues with the sale process whatsoever. There are no issues at all; it is a very successful sale process. [Time expired.]

The Hon. Amanda Fazio: I have a supplementary question. I want to ask him where he's building the houses.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Amanda Fazio will resume her seat; she did not ask the original question, as she well knows.

RESOURCED: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hanstrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LC20140911?open&refNavID=HA6_1