Arabic version: تقرير في كيمبرلي يكشف تراكم إصلاحات عاجلة في الإسكان العام

According to ABC News, almost seven in 10 public housing tenants in Western Australia’s Kimberley are waiting for urgent repairs, including plumbing, electrical and structural work. The Kimberley Community Legal Service’s Broken by Design report surveyed 166 tenants across 22 Kimberley communities and concluded that the existing maintenance system is badly failing tenants.

The report found that more than 95 per cent of respondents did not consider their homes safe or in good condition. Tenants reported structural damage, electrical faults, plumbing problems, mould and pest infestations. Over half of Kimberley renters live in social housing, according to the report, and some tenants described homes as unsafe, unreliable and at times unliveable.

Tenants cannot arrange their own repairs and must report problems through Housing and Works, either via a call centre or a local housing officer. Requests are recorded, a work order is issued to a head contractor, and a subcontractor is then arranged. KCLS chief executive Matt Panayi said the process was fragmented and difficult in remote communities, while completed work often did not address the underlying problem.

The report said 85 per cent of maintenance was reactive, despite evidence that planned maintenance was more effective and cost-efficient. It said about $250 million had been spent on travel and overhead costs linked to housing maintenance since 2019. KCLS called for locally delivered maintenance, preventative repairs, stronger accountability, quality assurance through more inspections, enforceable minimum housing standards, investment in housing officers and measures to address overcrowding. The WA government is reviewing maintenance arrangements, and Housing Minister John Carey has agreed to meet KCLS to discuss the report.