Today I inspected social housing units in the Brisbane suburb of Nundah in my electorate where work is being carried out under the Rudd Government's Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan.
The Australian and Queensland governments have committed to deliver maintenance and repairs to almost 9,500 dwellings across the state by July next year at a cost of more than $40 million.
It involves tradespeople doing repair work and installing roofing insulation on Department of Housing properties across Queensland.
Repairs and maintenance will be carried out on 562 dwellings in the Lilley electorate, at a cost of more than $2 million.
The Rudd Government is taking practical steps through the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan to cushion the impact of the global recession.
The investment in upgrading and repairing social housing provides economic stimulus and supports jobs in the construction sector.
Housing investment is a key part of our Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan - through both the First Home Owners Boost and the $6.4 billion investment building 20,000 social housing dwellings.
This investment will stimulate activity in the construction industry and the Treasury estimates it will to support 15,000 jobs nationally over the next two years.
As the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan rolls out over the next 12 months it will involve around 35,000 individual construction projects around the country.
Those projects will support jobs for builders and tradespeople as well as associated industries like manufacturers and suppliers further up the supply chain.
The investment also provides an important social benefit by increasing the amount of affordable housing which assists us with our aim of halving homelessness by 2020.
These infrastructure projects show the Federal, State and Local governments working together in partnership in the face of the worst global recession in living memory.
It is exactly the type of co-operation and practical work required as Australians pull together to weather this crisis and emerge stronger than ever.
For more information on the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan, visit the website: www.economicstimulusplan.gov.au.