[Greens-Media] Door open to affordable housing

[Manderson, Roland]

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ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey MEDIA RELEASE
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12 April 07


Door open to affordable housing 

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey welcomed the ACT Government's Affordable
Housing Action Plan released today, and pointed to some of the detail
that needs to be addressed if the plan is to be effective.

"The Government is clearly committed to implementing this latest plan"
Dr Foskey said today.

"This is a great leap forward as it failed to pursue any of the
innovative strategies proposed by its earlier (2002) Affordable Housing
Taskforce."

"One of the most exciting innovations in the Plan released today is the
proposal for Government to use the ACT's unique leasehold system to rent
land to new home builders, rather than sell it."

"I would like to see the Government consider offering the same support
to co-ops and other community groups who might have the capacity to
build their own homes."

 "Plans for a range of shared equity schemes to assist people into home
ownership - in public, community and private housing - is attractive,
although the devil of such schemes is in the detail."

"Similarly, making land available to institutional investors on
condition they include a proportion of affordable rental accommodation
appears to be a good step.  Unfortunately the Government is saying that
once five years have passed the properties could be sold off at market
price. I am arguing that twenty years is a better time frame."

"And while the Government is extending concessions and flexibility to
stamp duty on first home purchases, there has been no attention paid to
the substantial land tax that is levied on private rental housing."

 "The stand out failure of this plan is that it doesn't involve any
increase in public housing stock, nor the free provision of land for
Housing ACT to develop."

 
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Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
==== www.act.greens.org.au ===== 
  
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