In this podcast, @michellegrattan and the Greens spokesperson on housing and homelessness, @MChandlerMather, discuss the $10b housing fund, rent-freezes, and net migration
Most of our 10.8 million existing homes are in need of a retrofit to improve their performance and cut household energy use and emissions. The $1.6 billion for energy upgrades covers 170,000 homes.
Homeless tents in Musgrave Park, Brisbane.
Photo: Dorina Pojani
There are no ‘silver bullet’ solutions to a crisis that has left both renters and owners struggling. Only a comprehensive package of bold policies can ensure all Australians are securely housed.
Rent assistance can ease rental stress, but it won’t help low-income earners find secure and affordable housing when it’s in such short supply, nor stop disadvantage being concentrated in some areas.
Brisbane rents are up nearly 50% more than the national average and homelessness in Queensland is increasing at the fastest rate in the country. The state can take several steps to turn things around.
Three bills to go before parliament confirm the Albanese government is restoring the Commonwealth to a leadership role on housing issues. But there are still gaps in its approach.
Investing in housing should be just as important in public health messaging as exercise and having your five a day.
I Wei Huang | Shutterstock
Build-to-rent developments have been touted as a way to deliver affordable housing on a large scale. But, to date, the sector has not been focused on housing for people on lower incomes.
The main driver of homelessness in Australia is housing costs – post-COVID rents, house prices and interest rates are all much higher. To house everyone, the housing system needs a major overhaul.
Campaigners and scholars have long highlighted the need fior reform in social and private rental housing.
Carolyn Jenkins | Alamy
Alan Morris, University of Technology Sydney and Jan Idle, University of Technology Sydney
A serious disability is one of the most common reasons people apply for social housing. The long wait for a suitable home just adds to the daily challenges they face.
Critics of Jim Chalmers’ plan to use superannuation to pay for social housing say super holdings belong to members. But social housing is a reliable investment and benefits everyone.
Cohousing developments provide ample outdoor space for children to play in.
Gary Calton | Alamy
Targets of 50,000 new homes for rent at below-market rates and 1 million homes to improve affordability in general are positive steps, but the budget neglects the need to reform an ailing system.
While the Productivity Commission’s critique of the national housing agreement is justified, its faith in the market is not. The Albanese government is right to invest in building social housing.
Professor; School of Economics, Finance and Property, and Director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Curtin Research Centre, Curtin University