Mrs BRAHAM - 1995-10-17
Can the minister advise the House of plans to construct 3 houses in Alice Springs, the designs of which were winners of a public housing arid zone competition?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a matter that it is worth while noting and encouraging. Often, we hear people talk about the suitability of housing designs in the Territory. On a number of occasions, the Housing Commission has held competitions for appropriate housing designs. This particular competition was sponsored by the Territory Construction Agency, the Northern Territory Chapter of the Royal Institute of Architects, the Department of Transport and Works, and the then Department of Lands and Housing. The competition was for the construction of houses designed for the arid zone and suitable for people living in the southern area of the Territory. A total of $10 000 was to be awarded in prizes in 2 stages. The winning entries were announced on 2 April 1993 by my predecessor, who is now the Minister for Education and Training and the Attorney-General.
The 3 award-winning designs will be built on 3 blocks of land in the totally private Bradshaw Estate in the Larapinta area. When completed, the houses will be used as a display village for some weeks to encourage people who are thinking of building in that area to use designs which are compatible with the arid zone. Obviously, if designs are compatible with the environment, benefits accrue in terms of minimising heating and cooling costs. After the houses have been on public display, they will be offered to Housing Commission tenants under the transfer to purchase scheme. Members know that we have very innovative housing loan schemes which make it possible for Territorians to purchase houses with the most beneficial loan repayment ratios in Australia. If the houses are not sold by that means to Housing Commission tenants, the Real Estate Institute will auction them in the private market. However, the main purpose is to encourage people to consider innovative designs that are suitable to the environment in which they live, and to discourage people from copying the 3-bedroom brick veneer homes which are familiar in the south-eastern corner of Australia.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a matter that it is worth while noting and encouraging. Often, we hear people talk about the suitability of housing designs in the Territory. On a number of occasions, the Housing Commission has held competitions for appropriate housing designs. This particular competition was sponsored by the Territory Construction Agency, the Northern Territory Chapter of the Royal Institute of Architects, the Department of Transport and Works, and the then Department of Lands and Housing. The competition was for the construction of houses designed for the arid zone and suitable for people living in the southern area of the Territory. A total of $10 000 was to be awarded in prizes in 2 stages. The winning entries were announced on 2 April 1993 by my predecessor, who is now the Minister for Education and Training and the Attorney-General.
The 3 award-winning designs will be built on 3 blocks of land in the totally private Bradshaw Estate in the Larapinta area. When completed, the houses will be used as a display village for some weeks to encourage people who are thinking of building in that area to use designs which are compatible with the arid zone. Obviously, if designs are compatible with the environment, benefits accrue in terms of minimising heating and cooling costs. After the houses have been on public display, they will be offered to Housing Commission tenants under the transfer to purchase scheme. Members know that we have very innovative housing loan schemes which make it possible for Territorians to purchase houses with the most beneficial loan repayment ratios in Australia. If the houses are not sold by that means to Housing Commission tenants, the Real Estate Institute will auction them in the private market. However, the main purpose is to encourage people to consider innovative designs that are suitable to the environment in which they live, and to discourage people from copying the 3-bedroom brick veneer homes which are familiar in the south-eastern corner of Australia.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016