Page 1550 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 4 May 2016
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The major factor contributing to the decline of housing affordability in Canberra has been the increase in land prices … the share of land cost in new house prices has increased significantly. I believe the solutions to these problems must come from the supply side … Of course housing affordability is not just about the cost of buying a house; the cost of renting in this city also continues to increase. It is becoming more expensive to live in this city … I believe the supply of low-rent housing in Canberra would benefit greatly from targeted incentives to attract large financial investors and by expanding the use of not-for-profit housing providers.”
That is a quote from 10 years ago. In fact, it is a quote from the now Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s inaugural speech on 2 May 2006, just about exactly 10 years ago, when the now Chief Minister had some interesting things to say about housing and housing affordability:
The major factor contributing to the decline in housing affordability in Canberra has been the increase in land prices.
It is as true today, if not more so, as it was 10 years ago. The Chief Minister, as a newly elected MLA, pointed this out and in the ensuing 10 years what has improved? I will tell you what has improved. Nothing. Nothing has improved. In fact, I think it is getting worse.
There are families out there who are struggling and this government is doing nothing to help them. The government is increasing their cost of living and putting them under more pressure, more stress. Housing is one of the largest parts of the way they have to use their income but on top of that they have food. I already spoke about the fact that many households had to make compromises on food. They have transport costs. They have utilities costs. They have schooling costs, all sorts of things. And they are having to make compromises in this regard because this government, this ACT Labor-Greens government, is continuing to profiteer from the sale of land. It is continuing to gouge ordinary ACT residents on the price of land.
Mr Smyth: Shame!
MS LAWDER: Shame indeed! It is an appalling abuse of their power and I am at a loss for words as to what else to say to a government that is unable to say, “Yes, there are other things we could be doing and we should be doing and we will be doing.” Instead they congratulate themselves, they pat themselves on the back. What else do they do? They blame the federal government. Over and over again we hear that in this place. “It is all the federal government’s fault. It is all the federal government’s fault.” I think that is a real copout.
I know that the national partnership agreement on homelessness was introduced as a one-off injection of funds and it was done by Kevin Rudd. It was meant to be a one-off injection of funds to kickstart solving homelessness which would then continue on under the funding under the national affordable housing agreement. It has been
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