Housing wait hike in upmarket trend

By Nathan Johnston
DESPITE an increase in demand for cheap public housing, the City of Greater Dandenong’s new estates have been ‘unashamedly’ geared for higher income earners.
Council’s strategic planning team leader Jody Bosman said the municipality already had a disproportionately high level of public housing and new estates at Keysborough and Dandenong would help address the imbalance.
“The last thing we need is to be a large reservoir of lowincome housing,” he said. “We have previously neglected to provide housing for those people who are upwardly mobile.
“That’s why people have moved out to the type of housing that they’ve aspired to.”
He said there was no provision for lowcost housing in the new estates, including Metro 3175 (Dandenong Saleyards housing development) and Crystal Waters in Keysborough.
“New estates unashamedly have no provision for public housing,” Mr Bosman said.
The State Government last week released public housing figures that showed waiting lists in the Dandenong area, which includes the south east growth corridor, had risen by 2.6 per cent, or 96 people, for the June quarter.
Kim Stowe, CEO of housing and support services agency Wayss, said local councils throughout the south eastern suburbs should do more to ensure developers provided a mix of housing options.
He said the costs of housing in the inner suburbs had placed additional pressure on the outer regions.
“The figures don’t surprise me,” he said. “Demand is always high.
“We’ve seen a small increase in the numbers we’re referring.”
Mr Stowe said many clients were people from the inner suburbs looking for more affordable housing in the outer suburbs.
“These are people struggling in the private rental market,” he said.
“The rent assistance offered through Centrelink is the same throughout Australia regardless of where you live, whether it’s a highcost or lowcost area.”
Mr Stowe also said uncertainty about interest rates had increased the problem of high rental prices.
“An issue beyond anyone’s control is the sudden movement of interest rates,” he said. “The deregulation of the banking industry is making people extremely nervous.”
Mr Stowe said lowincome home buyers had been priced out of the market and had no option but to put their names on waiting lists for public housing.
“It’s not only the costs in housing, but also the charges that go with buying new or established housing,” he said. “There needs to be a reduction in State Government charges in relation to the establishment of a new home or the acquisition of an established property.”
State Housing Minister Candy Broad last week announced a $34.6 million housing works program to acquire 43 new family homes, and upgrade 460 public homes throughout the southern suburbs.