While each party took a different approach to one of the major issues facing Australia Carly Noble, Senate candidate for the Australian Democrats, said today that both proposals would make little difference to the main cause of the housing crisis. She said:
“This crisis didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t get better unless we change the way we approach it,” Mrs Noble said.
“The main parties are doing little to create a supply of affordable housing.
“They are risking an increase in housing prices, especially for first home buyers, by throwing cash into the market.”
Mrs Noble said the Australian Democrats has three key parts to its Housing Platform:
- Scaling up public and community housing—not just as a safety net, but as a core part of the housing system. The government of the day needs to invest directly and heavily in the kinds of housing the market won’t deliver on its own.
- Increased investment and help for renters by making rental properties a safer place to live. Including rent increase caps, longer and secure lease terms, increased rental assistance, as well as requiring universities to provide more affordable on-campus accommodation.
- Reduce property speculation by the simple reform of dropping the capital gains discount to 25 per cent.
Mrs Noble said rather than ad-hoc announcements that occur in the heat of an election campaign, the government needs to get serious and create a National Housing Strategy.
“This would also require the involvement of state and local governments,” she said.
“Housing is a human right, and not one that should be determined by market forces.
“Governments used to be good at providing housing. For the last few decades governments state and federal have let the supply run down.
“They need to get involved in a big way to give everyone the right of equal access to quality housing”.
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