Transparency of acq and cost per house

2) Good question.  Questions can be asked about the $6bn at Senate Estimates C’ttee time in Canberra, but the buck has been quickly passed to state govts, so the questions will need to be raised in state parliaments by vigorous opposition parties.
2-1) The ‘Reverse Garbage’ building at Addison St, Marrickville has been built with straw bale.  Also has a full water tank.  Not sure about multi-storey, multi-residential structural engineering calculations in straw bale though  ; )
Cement is also highly energy-intensive to produce.  Interestingly, a new ‘green’ cement made from volcanic fly ash called ‘pozzolana’ has been rediscovered recently in Cuba due to shortages — it resembles the cement originally discovered by the Romans and used 2,000 years ago, and takes much less energy to produce than Portland cement — and the cement is also hardier and less likely to get concrete cancer!  So a green future for cement…  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pozzolana
2-3) It would be interesting to investigate what the ratio will be of new build bought directly from developers against purchasing existing privately held dwellings, and when the new builds were approved and built.  Entire blocks of flats are put up for sale fairly often, but not that many people have $2-3M lying around unleveraged by borrowing to spend on such an acquisition, so it shouldn’t be too hard to acquire some of these either.  The state govt will have to advertise for such vendors to come forward to bring it to their or their accountant’s attention — above and beyond one newspaper article.  After all, they’re advertising the FHOB on the sides of buses…
Cheers,
Sean


From: hwg-bounces@lists.nsw.greens.org.au [mailto:hwg-bounces@lists.nsw.greens.org.au]
Sent: Friday, 15 May 2009 4:50 PM
To: GREENS Housing WorkGroup TheGreens
Subject: [HWG] Transparency of acq and Cost per house RE: NSW government plans to buy 1, 000 homes

                             
[ 1 ]
     
Exactly what is the cost per house? 
        
At just $1 Billion by NSW Govt:
    
Cost per house              =  $1,000,000,000  /   9,000 houses
                                  =  $   111,111      per         house     
     
      
What $ value from  Federal    $6,000,000,000                      for NSW?   
           
[ 1-1 ]
Why am I asking that The Greens check the arithmetic?  
     
Because, I am in the middle of Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama,
with  many unsavoury insights from USA that sadly fit Oz system;
which includes a reference to dodgy costing.
     
      
       
[ 2 ]    
How do The Greens ensure a transparent process for this “acquisition of public housing”?
      
 ~  What if a Co-op of public spirited citizens offered to look in to, and even drive
     the process?
            
[ 2-1 ]
Ideally, Govt. should get a few public servants/Architects in to Green Housing/ allocate
some land and do straw-bale mud houses – per my Permaculture class teacher a 8.5 score
against normal concrete that score 2.
    
 ~  That’s all I know – I have been in a small straw bale house, and it felt good.
     I am yet in my 2nd class – introductory level.
     Houses are probably covered at Advance Level course – but,
     Permaculture orgs would have experts who wish these houses are in wider use, I feel.
     Humans did live in houses before concrete.
     And, old mud houses still stand in dessert ruins.  
     
 ~  Probably can build a straw bale house with just the first home owner grant!
     
 ~  Anybody wants to run a project/work bee re Greens stance – I offer my
     voluntary services as a willing researcher  for a good cause.
    
[ 2-2 ]
Nice if they start with old houses either abandoned or in Public Trustee care needing
renovation etc.
     
[ 2-3 ]
Or, this is one way of unloading all the unsold developer housing with ALP donations
already costed in to it. 
    
If no proper process, public funds will cover another price hike to cover funding
a snap election called in one of PM Rudd’s tantrums – when they are unsuccessful
in having their way – all the way.
                  
At the least we should watch out for an ALP’s already set-in-stone plan to wipe-out
the  allocations in a worst possible way.