Page 1136 - Week 03 - Thursday, 18 March 2010
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rent scheme. We see that CHC Affordable Housing is well on the way to meeting its target. In fact, it will exceed its target, the target set by the ACT government, of delivering 1,000 affordable dwellings over the next 10 years. It is ahead of target in relation to those targets of 500 affordable rental properties and 500 affordable properties for sale.
OwnPlace is currently working on delivering 247 house and land packages for under $300,000. Of all of the massive number of blocks that have been delivered in greenfields, for instance, just in this financial year, the Village Building Company has delivered 252 homes for under $350,000. Over the last 2½ years, you have just one developer, pursuing policies initiated by this government, most particularly mandating, firstly, 15 per cent and then 20 per cent of all house and land packages being under $350,000, delivering in the order of 900 dwellings within that price range. (Time expired.)
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, a supplementary?
MR HARGREAVES: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Chief Minister the last supplementary of the day and the week and it is: what is the government doing through its affordability action plan to ensure that housing remains good value for money?
MR STANHOPE: Thank you very much, Mr Hargreaves. In the context of good value for money, it is very interesting, and it is reported today in the Canberra Times—I forget the name of the report; I believe I have it here.
Mr Hanson: Speak to young families out there trying to get into the real estate market, Jon. What have they got to say to you?
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Hanson.
MR STANHOPE: I have the article here. It is in relation to the latest PRDnationwide survey as reported in the Canberra Times today. It was a survey of investors across Australia, of people interested in investing in property. The results of that survey are quite remarkable and, once again, come as something of a kick in the shins to the Liberal Party. Of investors across Australia that have property portfolios, only three per cent had a view that properties in Canberra were overvalued, as against a view that 28 per cent believed properties in Sydney were overvalued and 26 per cent believed properties in Brisbane were overvalued. But only three per cent of property investors surveyed by PRD believed that properties in the ACT were overpriced.
That is some of the formal data. Of course, it is the sort of data that the Liberal Party hate, having regard to their complete and total opposition from day one to every one of the housing affordability initiatives that have been pursued by this government, and pursued successfully, to the point now where you have seen in this town over the last year the highest level—it is twice as high as in other places around Australia—of first home buyers.
The interjection has just been made, “What about first home buyers?” There are twice as many first home starts in the ACT as anywhere else in Australia. That is a direct
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