Mister Speaker

History provides the greatest lessons, and all too often we are too busy to reflect and learn from our history. Today I rise to speak in recognition of a local group in Macarthur that has been helping preserve the history of the greater Campbelltown area since 1947—the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society.

Campbelltown is an area rich with the elements of history that have been, and are, so defining of our nation and our future. One of these historic fixtures is St Elmo house, a heritage-listed building located in the heart of Campbelltown. The historical society has recently published a book by John McLean on the St Elmo Estate housing development. It was the first major community housing development in Campbelltown. It was a low-cost housing development for returned servicemen, which commenced in 1947. This plan offered a deal that had never been any equalled, with low deposits being offered. Once the deposit was paid, the title deeds were transferred to the purchaser, and the balance was paid off one pound a week, interest-free. This enabled the purchaser to then borrow the money for building costs from the bank. Over 900 families took advantage of this plan and were integral to the expansion of Campbelltown as a town and now as a city.

In 2017 housing affordability is an even greater issue, and it is time to look back on our history to learn a thing or two about housing affordability. The Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society recently published a book on the St Elmo Estate, and it is really salutary reading about how we should be approaching our housing affordability issues.