Transcript – Doorstop Interview – Bethanie Social Housing, Fremantle

E&OE 
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
FREMANTLE, WA
WEDNESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2025

Subjects: Bondi terrorist attack, social and affordable housing in Fremantle

JOSH WILSON: Kaya. Good afternoon everyone. It’s great to be here in in Freo. In Walyalup, on the lands of Whadjuk Noongar people. And I pay my respect to elders past and present. 

Before I say some things about this fantastic project and the partnership between the Albanese and the Cook Labor Governments in seeing it delivered through Bethanie and Atlas as the builder, I do want to just acknowledge that it’s been a terrible and tough week in Australia as a result of the awful terrorist attack that occurred in Bondi on Sunday night. A hateful terrorist attack that proceeded from prejudice, from antisemitism and was directed at Australians celebrating their faith on the first day of Chanukah. Australians everywhere, reject that prejudice. Australians everywhere reject that kind of violence. And we do recognise the importance of unity and coming together in this time of great pain and great distress and great challenge. And we do recognise that in those awful circumstances we saw some of the best kind of human conduct and expressions of the best of our Australian character. People running towards danger, people putting themselves at risk in order to care for others. And you know, we note that today some of the first funeral services commence. And we note that there are still people who were critically injured in that awful terrorist violence are undergoing surgery today. Including Ahmed Al Ahmed, whose courage was one of the remarkable good things that occurred on what was otherwise a terrible day. I know that Australians in this community and Australians everywhere in all communities send their heartfelt sympathy and love to the victims and their families and friends and the entire Australian Jewish community and the people in Bondi. 

But it is fantastic to be here for a really significant sod turning event for a project that will provide much needed affordable and social housing in Fremantle at a time when we have a big housing challenge. We certainly know in the Albanese Government we have to respond to that challenge by delivering more affordable housing and more social housing. And we’ve wasted no time in getting on with that. We’re making the largest investment in new affordable housing since the post Second World War housing boom. $43 billion. And we are very, very glad to work in partnership with the WA Cook Government by providing $50 million in federal funds. $31 [million] through the Housing Australia Future Fund and $18.5 million in concessional loans through the Housing Australia Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator to support this project as Lindsay’s just described. It is one of the many, many projects that are going on around the country. The many projects here in Western Australia. 

My fellow Fremantle representative Simone McGurk and I have been with Minister Carey to see a number of projects just in the last 12 months. In North Coogee, Minister Carey and I were in Coolbellup, East Fremantle. The list goes on. We all know that we can’t pause for a moment in that shared effort to deliver more housing supply and particularly more affordable and social housing. We’re glad to do that through funding contributions like this, through policy change like the 5% home guarantee that’s already supported 200,000 home purchases, through the once-in-a-generation lift that we provided to the Commonwealth rental assistance, up by nearly 50% since the Albanese Government was elected. And we’re grateful that more than 500,000 houses have been built since the May 2022 election of the Albanese Government and that housing construction starts are up 9% year-on-year. They are all positive signs but we know there’s a lot more to be done. This is a fantastic example of it. This is going to provide much needed social and affordable housing for people right in the heart of Fremantle, as we go around delivering projects in partnership with the Cook Labor Government right around Western Australia. 

ENDS