By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Labor and the Greens have pledged billions for social and affordable housing ahead of the 21 May Federal Election.
Star Journal reported on a deepening “housing crisis” in the South East, with rentals increasingly unaffordable for low-income people.
Homelessness services provider Wayss recently reported 42 families with 100 children being housed in hotels as emergency accommodation in Greater Dandenong.
Bruce MP Julian Hill said Labor would build 30,000 social and affordable housing properties in five years as part of a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund.
“Scott Morrison’s policies have made housing affordability worse,” Mr Hill said.
“Deliberate government policy has seen wages fall in real terms while house prices and rents have skyrocketed, making housing increasingly unaffordable.
“Sexy sounding cash handout schemes pour petrol on the fire of demand, pushing up prices and rents while pretending to help.
“The Liberals have racked up nearly $1 trillion of debt yet have left no legacy of new social housing.”
Matthew Kirwan, the Greens candidate for Bruce, said a proposed ‘billionaires tax’ could help pay for a million new public housing homes in 20 years.
The Greens also propose offering “new, good quality” homes for $300,000 to renters, first home buyers and people “locked out” of housing.
The homes would be built in “areas people want to live in,” Mr Kirwan said.
“In my lifetime living in the outer South-East it has gone from a place where almost anyone could afford to buy to one where some people can’t even afford to pay the rent.
“Decades of governments have rigged the private housing market with tax breaks that favour big developers and rich property speculators. It’s time to think differently.
“Liberal and Labor back giving billions of dollars in handouts to people who own multiple properties, which just pushes up prices and locks people out of housing.
“Housing should be for all, not just the few.”
Ahead of the 2022 federal and state elections, City of Greater Dandenong has nominated affordable and social housing as a key advocacy issue.
It states that the council area has the highest rate rate of homelessness and rental stress in the state, with the challenges of low-income levels, high unemployment, substantial refugee settlement and lower mental and physical health outcomes.
Liberal candidate James Moody and United Australia Party candidate Matt Babet were also contacted for comment.
