[Greens-Media] = Greens in Canberra for national housing plan

[Manderson, Roland]

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ACT GREENS MLA DEB FOSKEY MEDIA RELEASE
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15 June 2007


Greens in Canberra for national housing plan 

 NSW Greens MLC Sylvia Hale, ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey and ACT Senate
candidate Kerrie Tucker have made a joint statement in Canberra today
about the need for a comprehensive approach to housing affordability.

"I am impressed that the ACT Government has an action plan in place to
improve housing affordability, but it doesn't appear to deliver support
where it's most needed," Ms Hale said today.

"Deferring stamp duty and releasing more suburban blocks addresses only
one part of the housing affordability problem.  The most acute crisis is
faced by people on low incomes renting their homes in the private
market," Dr Foskey said.

"And the continuing development of up market housing near the centre of
our cities - in Sydney and Canberra - is increasing disadvantage faced
by those forced to the edge. We need to see permanently affordable
housing included in all new large residential developments, no matter
where they are."

Ms Hale was in Canberra to meet with Greens Housing Spokespeople Deb
Foskey MLA, Senate Candidate and former Executive Officer of ACT
Shelter, Kerrie Tucker, and Senator Rachel Siewert to talk about the
national affordable housing crisis in light of the UN Special
Rapporteur's Report on housing in Australia.

"The Federal Government needs to take a leading role in addressing the
crisis in affordable housing by reviewing its own taxes and regulations
to determine their impact on the housing market" Ms Tucker said.  

"The Greens are committed to developing a national housing plan to
expand the availability of low-rent housing. Australia needs to both
rebuild the public housing sector and to grow community housing. There
are progressive planning guidelines in Europe that require a social mix
of housing, with 20% low cost and public housing for new developments.
An approach like that would make a big difference to the people in need
in Australia," Ms Hale said.


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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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