Page 3343 - Week 11 - Thursday, 11 November 2021
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inclusion, and they want to live in a city where everyone has a place to call home and access to the services they need.
In 2020-21, the SLA continued to release land to support the ACT government’s housing targets for affordable, public and community housing. Sites for a total of 345 dwellings were released against the target of 302 dwellings. The SLA offers a program for qualified buyers to get lower priced homes as well. More than 100 homes are anticipated to be sold through the affordable home purchase scheme in 2021, meaning that this year alone more than 100 people have had access to buy homes, townhouses and apartments at prices less than $450,000.
As we announced today, this government is also working to deliver a new kind of option to our housing market—that is the build to rent. These projects involve building long-term rental housing made specifically for renters rather than buyers. The build-to-rent model is just one of the ways we are working to meet the territory’s diverse and changing housing needs now and into the future. Most importantly, we are making a difference to the sustainable supply of housing for people of all income levels.
DR PATERSON: Minister, what steps has the SLA taken to ensure its land and housing supply program helps to deliver stronger communities?
MS BERRY: I thank Dr Paterson for her question. Canberrans deserve to have a say in how their neighbourhoods will be shaped. As the minister for suburban development I have been really pleased to hear the feedback from the community about the SLA’s consultations. There are examples across the territory of really thorough community engagement resulting in land sales that meet the community’s needs.
As the Labor minister for suburban land development I was able to ensure that the Gold Creek Homestead, Belconnen town centre and Coombs and Wright village projects have created great results for those communities. I have heard from community members in each of these areas about how they have a say in shaping the SLA’s land release process. The SLA is using community feedback in these areas to create really detailed place design briefs. Those briefs then shape the requirement for land sales.
More than just bricks and mortar, bringing residents into the development process with these place-making opportunities creates a strong sense of ownership and community out of these new projects. I have been really pleased with how the consultation on major land development projects has gone this term, and I look forward to the SLA continuing this important work over the coming year.
The SLA has also a great program to help residents build connections in these new neighbourhoods. When a new suburb is established Mingle provides resources to help people connect. Through Mingle new residents get to set up play groups, events and other community-building activities so that people get to know each other and get to enjoy their new homes. At every level and using every tool we have available, this
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