NSW: Inner-city public housing to get facelift

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-2009
NSW: Inner-city public housing to get facelift

SYDNEY, April 14 AAP - Social housing properties in inner-Sydney will get a facelift
with $9.2 million of federal funding to be spent on maintenance.

More than 3,000 homes in the city, Glebe, Redfern, Waterloo and Marrickville will be
made fit to live in with the funds.

The money is part of a total $130 million allocated to NSW for social housing maintenance
under the federal stimulus package.

Federal Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek said the government had allocated $400 million
Australia-wide for repairs and maintenance work on more than 10,000 houses.

"This significant investment will generate around 2,000 jobs across the state and be
used to upgrade around 31,000 homes by June 2010," she said in Sydney on Tuesday.

NSW Housing Minister David Borger said the state government was spending $340 million
on top of the federal money and the investment would help keep people in jobs in difficult
times.

He said NSW also launched a new contract system for maintenance in August.

"The new system encourages more proactive maintenance and improves the way tenants
can report any repairs that are needed," he said.

"Because we have completed an audit of all the maintenance required in NSW we have
been able to immediately kick start this new program."

The announcement of $9.2 million for inner-city suburbs follows similar announcements
for Sydney's west and south.

AAP kd/evt/jpm

KEYWORD: HOUSING NSW

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