Rent assistance urged for people living in regional WA

The State Government has called on the new Federal Family Services Minister Mal Brough to improve rent assistance for people living in regional parts of the state.

The call comes after State Housing and Works Minister Francis Logan claimed previous Minister, Senator Kay Patterson had refused to consider reforms to the rent assistance scheme for people in regional Western Australia.

"People living in places like Karratha, Broome, Port Hedland and Kalgoorlie are paying rents as high as $650 and $800 a week," Mr Logan said.

"Rents in excess of $1,000 a week are not uncommon for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom family home in Karratha.

"Yet the only assistance available from the Commonwealth is $49 per week for a single person with no children, up to a maximum of $65 per week for a couple with three children."

Mr Logan said Mr Brough's appointment to the portfolio responsible for housing issues provided new hope for low-income earners in important regional towns and committed to write to the new Minister to ask him to consider changes to the rent assistance scheme.