[Greens-Media] Housing Dream in Limbo

[Guthrie, Shane]

Housing Dream in Limbo

Media release Monday 22 July 2013


Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren has applauded the week's campaign by Australians for Housing Affordability for speaking up for those without adequate housing. 

The Greens are calling for State Government action on homelessness. 

"The Greens have put forward win-win solutions on housing. We want a commitment to an emergency package to provide housing to homeless people. We want to see increased use of prefabricated housing to reduce the time and cost of building homes. We want to see urban infill along transport corridors, so that people don't have to move to outer suburbs," Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren said today.

"Crisis accommodation is key for homeless people. No-one should be sleeping on winter streets in this day and age. Then we need to deliver affordable housing so that no-one is ever homeless again. 

"In my recent discussions with community service providers, the message was loud and clear. Housing affordability underpins each and every problem faced by people in poverty.  

"This backs up the findings in a recent report by Australians for Housing Affordability, Defaulting on the Australian Dream, which shows that having fulltime work is no longer a guarantee to accessing housing. 

"Where community groups provide financial counselling, the cost of renting is a family's biggest draw on income. Where they provide a bed for a night, there's nowhere for people to move beyond crisis accommodation. 

"For people on low incomes, buying a house is out of the question, and the high cost of renting eats into money for food, health and education. The costs of housing are rising faster for people on pensions and other benefits than they are for Australian households on average. 

"For people on moderate incomes, the dream of owning their own home has faded."


For comment: Hon Lynn MacLaren MLC
Mobile 0403 721 951

Media liaison: Shane Guthrie
Mobile 0428 207 007


Office of Hon Lynn MacLaren MLC, Member for South Metropolitan Region
Legislative Council, Parliament of Western Australia
Unit 7, 142 South Terrace, Fremantle, Western Australia 6160
Tel 08 9430 7233
Shane.Guthrie at mp.wa.gov.au   www.LynnMacLaren.org.au