Mr ALEX GREENWICH (Sydney) (11:23): My question is directed to the Minister for Building. Will New South Wales join the majority of States and Territories and implement the Silver Level Livable Housing Design Standard within the National Construction Code to ensure people with a disability and the ageing population have safe and accessible housing options now and in the future?
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (11:24): I thank the member for Sydney for his question and for his advocacy for housing justice in New South Wales. The former Government chose not to adopt the Livable Housing provisions from the 2022 National Construction Code, but the Minns Labor Government is committed to housing justice. The Government is working harder than ever before to ensure that everyone in the community can access good, quality homes. When it comes to the silver livable housing standards, we are leading by example to deliver better homes that work for everyone in the community.
The SPEAKER: I forgot the member for Lane Cove was still in Parliament. The member will come to order.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: Nothing says more about the Government's commitment to the issue highlighted in the question of the member for Sydney than leading by example and showing industry that accessible and affordable housing can go together. We have made a record $5.1 billion investment in more than 8,000 social housing properties, and that includes $1 billion for the upgrade of 30,000 homes. Every one of these homes will be built to the silver standard, meaning they will all be accessible. We are also directing Landcom to ensure that at least 30 per cent of all medium- to high-density homes comply with these standards. The Apartment Design Guide is encouraging at least 20 per cent of apartments to be delivered to the silver standard. The metrics are the floor and not the ceiling.
The moves are a great start, but I understand the enthusiasm of members in this House to do even more. The Government has heard the voices of advocates loudly, including the members representing the electorates of Sydney, Newtown, Balmain and Ballina. I also recognise my colleague and good friend the member for Gosford; she is working extremely hard every day to ensure this issue is a top priority for me as Minister for Building and for my colleague the Minister for Disability Inclusion. That is why we are working through the issues very carefully. The Building Commission NSW is working across government and with other jurisdictions to understand the impact of any future implementation. While other States have adopted the provisions, they originally signed up but also delayed their implementation. Our friends in South Australia and Tasmania have delayed commencement to later this year. Our friends in Queensland have delayed them to March next year, demonstrating the complexities of implementing the reforms. The Government wants to learn from those experiences. [Extension of time]
We want to learn from the experiences of our colleagues in other States, but as we wait for meaningful data to come through, the Building Commission NSW is also working with stakeholders in our State at present. We brought together the disability community and the building industry at a government forum on accessible housing in September last year to discuss how best to meet the needs of all occupants, regardless of their mobility or age. We are committed to ongoing engagement as we leverage our record investment in new and accessible housing. As part of the Government's work responding to the disability royal commission, my colleague the Minister for Disability Inclusion is also playing a leading coordinating role. Following the release of our response to the royal commission, further stakeholder forums will be conducted and other recommendations will be scheduled for later this year.
We are in a housing crisis and every decision we make must be geared to easing the pressure on housing. I want to be transparent to colleagues, though, about the challenges associated with the standards. Housing is the number one issue for people in our State. We need more homes; we need them to be of a higher quality and we need them to be affordable. The Government is working hard to meet these challenges. Unlike some other States, we are building a large proportion of freestanding residential buildings, and the standards are a bigger challenge at those sites. We are conscious of the need not to increase the cost of compliance for builders or the cost of homes for consumers. We have to strike a balance.
The Government is committed to delivering housing justice for the whole community. That includes accessibility, affordability and availability. The National Construction Code 2025 will be considered for approval by the Commonwealth and State and Territory governments in late 2024. This will be a great opportunity for governments to further consider their positions on disability accessibility regulations in the building space. I thank the member for his question.
Mr Kevin Anderson: That's our document. Just say thank you—we did that and you know that.
The SPEAKER: The member for Tamworth knows that he will be called to order for that interjection. I call the member for Tamworth to order for the first time. All members will come to order as we hear the question from the member for South Coast.
