Housing Minister John Carey sidesteps inaction in Augusta-Margaret River as Homelessness Week starts

With 600 Augusta-Margaret River residents said to be on the brink of homelessness, WA Housing Minister John Carey has handballed questions about a perceived lack of State Government support for the region. It comes as National Homelessness Week is recognised around Australia. The Times recently revealed no new social housing had finished construction, nor had the Department of Communities spot-purchased any new homes in the Augusta-Margaret River shire since early 2021. This didn’t stop Mr Carey this week talking up the most recent State Government budget’s $1.1 billion for housing and support services, $400 million for social and affordable housing projects Statewide, and $60 million for a Regional Community Housing Grants Program. While local groups were scraping together funds to keep services running and cafes were rattling the tin to throw their support behind them, the Minister handballed questions from the Times to a State Government spokesperson who said there were no priority applications for public housing in the Margaret River zone. While more than 125 new social homes had been added across the South West – with the Government claiming another 100 were under contract or construction – Mr Carey boasted about “a record $3.2 billion in housing and homelessness measures since 2021-22”. Just 13 homes were planned for construction in the shire and the eight units at the Witchcliffe Eco Village given $2.9 million funding in 2022 had not yet come off the design table. Since 2020 the Department of Communities disposed of one property within the shire and sold nine more in the City of Busselton. The Minister’s statement this week identified reforms undertaken to streamline planning and future delivery of social housing across the State. He also said the State Government had boosted homelessness services with an additional $140 million in initiatives in 2024 to support 120-plus critical homelessness services across WA. But none of those services were within the Augusta Margaret River shire. “Generally, social housing delivery is aligned with overall demand, and the most significant demand is across the Perth metropolitan area,” the spokesperson said. “The State Government has also invested more than $3.65 million in homeless services in the South West region this financial year alone, including funding for two services operating across the South West region.” Meanwhile, shire president Julia Meldrum was today expected to join a forum on homelessness in Perth amid efforts to lobby for greater awareness and action on the local housing crisis. The WA Change Makers panel organised by Shelter WA for Homeless Week would give Ms Meldrum the chance to offer a regional perspective, she said. “Augusta-Margaret River is perceived to be a rich or affluent region, but the reality is quite different for some of our community members,” she said. “Within the shire, we currently have around 150 people homeless and another 600 on the brink of homelessness and experiencing real financial stress.” Ms Meldrum said access to secure housing was crucial for community wellbeing, but residents also needed local-based support services “because not everyone has the means to travel to Bunbury to get the support they need”.