Page 4376 - Week 10 - Thursday, 22 September 2011
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that while average weekly expenditure in the ACT was 24 per cent higher than the national average, household income was 37 per cent higher than the national average. The ABS found household income in the ACT grew by 66 per cent between 2003 and 2010, compared to a 50 per cent growth rate across the rest of Australia. The ABS found Canberrans spend proportionately more on discretionary items such as entertainment and proportionately less on non-discretionary items such as housing costs and transport.
We have heard a lot of talk about cost of living. The ACT government is actually doing something about it, helping Canberrans to get into more affordable housing and helping those most in need. It does contrast markedly with the approach of those opposite who have voted against every measure to make housing more affordable in the territory over the past three years.
In the 2011-12 budget, the ACT government set aside more than $111 million to increase the supply of new housing and to support the release of 18½ thousand dwelling sites. The Canberra Liberals voted against this. In 2010-11, the ACT government set aside more than $85 million to release 17,000 dwelling sites. Again, the Canberra Liberals voted against this. In the 2009-10 budget, the ACT government set aside $74 million to invest in critical infrastructure to cater for new residential areas under our expanded land supply strategy. The Canberra Liberals voted against this.
The ACT government provided a $70 million revolving finance facility to allow CHC Affordable Housing to deliver hundreds of affordable homes for rent and for sale. The Canberra Liberals voted against this. In the 2011-12 budget, the ACT government set aside more than $12.3 million to increase concessions available for low income households. Again, the Canberra Liberals voted against this.
There is no policy emanating from the other side to make housing more affordable in the ACT. Apparently the only thing they support that will see house prices come crashing down is the federal opposition leader’s plan to throw 12,000 Canberrans out of work. Undoubtedly the experience when this last occurred, in 1996, was that it did send prices through the floor. It would see 12,000 Canberra households become low income overnight, and it would appear to be the only scheme that the Liberal Party supports to address housing affordability—that is, to sack 12,000 Canberrans. It does stand in marked contrast to the proposals and policy direction that the ACT government is pursuing.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (4.59): The Greens and Labor seem to have this position whereby they think the answer to housing affordability issues is to actually make more Canberrans dependent on the state through public housing. That is not something that we on this side of the chamber believe in. We on this side of the chamber would actually like to see people become independent, for those in public housing, if possible, to be in public housing as a transition and to, where possible, find their feet in the private market.
However, Labor and the Greens, through their ideology, do not support this approach. They support an approach which involves acquiring more houses, building up the
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