No matter whether you’re looking to rent, buy, or are in need of housing support – the housing market isn’t working. As your Independent MP, I will work for real housing solutions.
As one of the wealthiest nations in the world, it alarms me that the security of a home is out of reach for so many. Housing is essential to well-being. Study after study shows that people in secure housing are more likely to find and maintain stable employment, enjoy high health standards, and raise kids that are better adjusted in schools and communities where they feel connected to community and place.
Housing is a human right – something that all Australians should have the opportunity to experience and enjoy.
Here in Bradfield, I see the consequences every day. Essential workers can’t afford to live near their workplace. Families can’t live close to their support networks. A whole generation of young people have lost hope of ever owning their own home.
No matter whether you’re looking to rent, buy, or are in need of housing support – the housing market isn’t working:
- House prices have skyrocketed – making Sydney the second-most expensive city in the world relative to income.
- Interest rates have gone from 0.1% to 4.1% – significantly impacting the increasing number of people on variable loans. More than a million Australians are now in extreme mortgage stress.
- There has never been a worse time to be a renter – 70% of renters are facing rental stress. And there’s no available housing stock for them to switch to.
- 190,000 people are on waiting lists around the country for just 18,000 social housing vacancies – meaning many of our neighbours face uncertainty and housing insecurity for their families for the foreseeable future.
Solving the housing affordability crisis requires all levels of government to work together. The major parties need to stop using housing policy as an opportunity for political point-scoring and stop dodging responsibility for fixing the problems that both parties have created.
We need well-built, affordable homes
As your Independent MP, I will look to pull every sensible lever available so real housing solutions are delivered.
Increase housing supply
Only a generation ago, the public sector built 15% of all new housing stock development – a rate that has steadily declined to less than 5%. The absence of investment in affordable, high-quality housing stock for those in need at the bottom of the market has pushed people into ever less affordable housing and created too much demand for existing housing stock.
- Significantly expand the Housing Australia Future Fund facility to rapidly grow the supply of social and affordable housing.
- Eliminate red tape that is slowing down planning approvals for new housing stock.
- Support investments in infrastructure, transport, and utilities in new housing precincts to unlock private sector investment in new housing.
- Deliver free TAFE courses and apprentice wage subsidies for apprenticeships in construction and essential trades to ensure we have the construction workforce to house our population.
Make housing affordable for first-home buyers
You used to be able to buy a family home on a single income, with a bit of hard work. Those days are long gone, as the growth in housing prices has raced ahead of wages growth. It now takes nine years for a person on a median income to save for a deposit on a median-cost home that is smaller and less suitable than previous generations could access.
I’ve heard so many heart-breaking stories of young couples delaying having a family because they simply can’t afford the cost of kids while also struggling under the burden of university fee debt, soaring rents, and trying to save for a deposit. This needs to change.
- Expand Labor’s Help-to-Buy Scheme – allowing the government to co-invest with households up to $180k per year on their first home.
- A lower interest rate for first-home buyers – APRA has the ability to offer concessionary interest rates for specific classes of borrowers. We shouldn’t let the fight against inflation impact people’s ability to access secure housing.
- Reject the Coalition’s calls for early access to superannuation for deposits – this will simply be absorbed into house prices and will wipe out the retirement savings of young people.
Improve rental affordability
- Increased and better-targeted Commonwealth Rent Assistance – currently, 530,000 households are still in rental stress even after receiving assistance.
- Increased measures to discourage property speculation, land-banking, and empty houses – ensuring that housing stock is available to house people.
Make sure new homes are well-built
- Require larger proportions of medium- to high-density developments to be built – working with all levels of government to ensure a greater mix of “affordable” homes.
- Improve building codes to ensure high safety and quality standards – reducing our emissions and saving new owners on costly repairs to shoddy work.
- Better master planning that takes into account neighbourhood biodiversity and heritage values, as well as amenities such as schools, hospitals, public transport and parking.