5 years ago
COALITION INACTION ON HOUSING IS FAILING YOUNG AUSTRALIANS
SENATOR THE HON DOUG CAMERON
After almost six years of policy inaction and social housing cuts, vulnerable young Australians are bearing the brunt of the Liberals’ affordable housing crisis.
The National Youth Homelessness Conference 2019 on in Melbourne today and tomorrow will hear calls for more Federal Government funding for short-term, transitional and long-term housing for young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Children and young people now make up almost half the 288,000 people receiving specialist homelessness services support.
Low wages, high rents and a massive shortage of affordable and social housing have conspired against young people who are at the very bottom of the housing market.
Further exacerbating the crisis, the Coalition cut $44 million a year from crisis accommodation for young people and women fleeing family violence.
If elected, Labor will invest $88 million through a new Safe Housing Fund to increase crisis and transitional housing options for young people and women.
Labor will also build 250,000 new affordable homes to address the estimated 520,000 shortfall of affordable rental properties across Australia.
Under Labor’s plan, young people would be able to rent an affordable home at 20 per cent below the market rate close to where they work or study.
Recent reports that Melbourne slumlords were pocketing millions of dollars of taxpayers money for filthy and unsafe motels to house young people is further proof of the Liberals’ abject failure on housing policy.
The Liberals have no plan to invest in the supply of affordable and social housing.
Their only policy is to maintain the world’s most generous tax concessions for wealthy investors and property speculators at the expense of renters, first‐home buyers and people at risk of homelessness.
The National Youth Homelessness Conference 2019 on in Melbourne today and tomorrow will hear calls for more Federal Government funding for short-term, transitional and long-term housing for young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Children and young people now make up almost half the 288,000 people receiving specialist homelessness services support.
Low wages, high rents and a massive shortage of affordable and social housing have conspired against young people who are at the very bottom of the housing market.
Further exacerbating the crisis, the Coalition cut $44 million a year from crisis accommodation for young people and women fleeing family violence.
If elected, Labor will invest $88 million through a new Safe Housing Fund to increase crisis and transitional housing options for young people and women.
Labor will also build 250,000 new affordable homes to address the estimated 520,000 shortfall of affordable rental properties across Australia.
Under Labor’s plan, young people would be able to rent an affordable home at 20 per cent below the market rate close to where they work or study.
Recent reports that Melbourne slumlords were pocketing millions of dollars of taxpayers money for filthy and unsafe motels to house young people is further proof of the Liberals’ abject failure on housing policy.
The Liberals have no plan to invest in the supply of affordable and social housing.
Their only policy is to maintain the world’s most generous tax concessions for wealthy investors and property speculators at the expense of renters, first‐home buyers and people at risk of homelessness.