Once again, the Federal Labor Government has closed the door to home ownership and those at risk of homelessness, as they ignore the issues confronting the social housing and the building sectors.
While Labor struggles to make any real inroads with its failed Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) policy, the Sunshine Coast has seen homelessness increase by 54% to (2021 Census). At the same time, building companies struggle against the rising cost of living, soaring supply and transport costs, newly empowered trade unions, and an extreme shortage in skilled workers in Queensland.
Former builder and Fisher MP Andrew Wallace, who chaired the landmark Inquiry into Homelessness in Australia in 2021 said that both State and Federal Labor Governments are refusing to pull the levers available to them to address housing supply issues, letting down our most vulnerable.
“Instead of looking at real, on the ground solutions, Labor’s HAFF Ponzi scheme can’t guarantee a single home will be built before the next election,” Mr Wallace said.
“In contrast the former Coalition government supported building 15,000 social and affordable dwellings. We didn’t waste our time hoping market returns will help Australians off the street; we listened, we pulled up our sleeves, and we did something about it.”
Approximately 175,000 households are on wait lists for access to social housing across the country, with anticipated waiting periods of up to 10 years. Mr Wallace says that more needs to be done, and called out the Federal Labor Government for abandoning aspirational middle Australians – and particularly those young Australians who last year lent Labor their vote.
“The Albanese Labor Government promised their way to the corridors of power, but has spent nearly 18 months squandering the goodwill of the Australian people, rendering the Australian dream of home ownership almost impossible for hardworking young Australians,” Mr Wallace said.
“The Government’s floundering Housing Australia Future Fund is an unmodelled policy experiment. It won’t expunge the Palaszczuk Government’s abominable social housing record. It won’t reverse the havoc Labor has wrought on the building sector and the Australian economy,” he added.
The Coalition remains on the side of young Australians, and all hard-working Australians who aspire to home ownership. Owning a home is a key determinant of whether an Australian retires in comfort and confidence, or on the path to welfare dependence.
The proposed Super Home Buyer Scheme will allow first home buyers to invest 40% of their superannuation, up to a maximum of $50,000, into purchasing their first home.
“What Labor fail to understand time and again is that superannuation is Australians’ money. It’s not the plaything of governments, super funds or trade unions. Australians have worked hard for it.” Mr Wallace said.
The Record of the Previous Coalition Government:
The former Coalition government provided billions of dollars in low-cost loans was provided to support more than 15,000 social and affordable homes. By committing $1 billion through the National Housing Infrastructure Facility, the Coalition was able to unlock a further 6,900 social and affordable dwellings.
Under the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement, we committed $1.6 billion annually to the states and territories to help meet their obligations to improve housing and homelessness outcomes. The financial commitment of the former Coalition Government extended even further, with a total pledge of $9 billion allocated towards housing and homelessness initiatives.
Notably, over $5 billion of this allocation was directed towards Commonwealth Rent Assistance, a lifeline for approximately 1.4 million eligible welfare-dependent Australians. This payment also rose by around 2 per cent in line with the twice-annual indexation, delivering an extra $112.1 million in assistance per year to renters.
Support is available through the Housing Service Centre on (07) 5352 7333 or the Homeless Hotline at 1800 474 753.
