[Greens-Media] (Sylvia Hale MLC) Labor and Liberal Fail Housing Affordability Test

[Christopher Holley]

Labor and Liberal Fail Housing Affordability Test


NSW Greens MP and housing spokesperson, Sylvia Hale, today accused both
the Labor and Liberal parties of failing to address the housing
affordability crisis in NSW.

“The announcements by both the Labor and Liberal parties will do
nothing to solve the affordability crisis for NSW renters and aspiring
home owners”, said Ms Hale.  

“Labor is offering nothing more than a system for monitoring the
problem and a new Ministerial position, neither of which will assist one
new person into affordable housing.”

“The Liberal’s are continuing to pursue their ideological
obsessions by pretending that opening public housing funding to bids
from the private sector will solve all the problems. It won’t.”

“The Liberals’ call for releases of new land on Sydney’s fringe
is also off target. It is no good providing marginally cheaper housing
if it is all on the urban fringe." 

"People who work in low and moderate income jobs need to live near
where they work and that is throughout Sydney. We can’t continue to
expect people to spend up to four hours per day travelling to and from
work. The consequences for their budgets, their family and social life
and for the environment are too high. ”

“Both parties need to commit to a major increase in public funding of
housing. That increase should be spent on a variety of models of housing
provision, including new public housing and innovative not-for-profit
cooperative housing schemes to provide subsidised rent for low and
moderate income earners in all parts of the state,” said Ms Hale.

“The private and community sectors can play a significant role in
providing and maintaining affordable housing schemes, but it is public
money that is needed up front whether in direct funding or in financial
incentives to encourage private investment in affordable housing
schemes.”

“Nothing that either party says about the housing affordability
crisis can be taken seriously until they commit to a major increase in
public investment in housing,” said Ms Hale.


Contact: Chris Holley (02) 9230 3030 / 0437 779 546