Feds rushing public housing: Keneally

The federal government has pushed NSW to speed up the construction of 6000 public
housing units, Premier Kristina Keneally says in response to community backlash.

The state government is rushing through more than 500 building projects by the end
of 2010.
But local residents affected by the building plans are incensed that neither they
nor local councils will be able to appeal against any NSW Housing projects in court.
Residents are protesting against plans for at least 10 per cent of the projects,
News Limited reports.
The 6000 public housing residences, mainly units, will be funded by the federal
government's economic nation-building stimulus plan.
Residents and councils can only make submissions during the 21-day consultation period.
Ms Keneally made no apologies for making a grab at federal funds or for the state
government restricting the consultation process.
"We worked with local government in designing these laws and this new approval
process," Ms Keneally told reporters in Sydney.
"And we had to do this so that we could get this public housing constructed within
the commonwealth's tight timeframes.
"The commonwealth made very clear that these 6000 public housing units had to be
constructed by December 2010 and that's what we're doing."
NSW opposition planning spokesman Brad Hazzard said NSW Housing has become the
developer, the builder and the approver, with no independent review in the process.
"They go to themselves and they have a chat with themselves and they decide that
you're going to have another 20 (units) next door to you," Mr Hazzard told reporters
in Sydney.
"Kristina Keneally knows exactly how to steamroll over local communities - she
proved that very quickly as the minister for planning, she's proving it now as
premier."