2018-02-20
The ACT Greens today expressed disappointment at the Government’s “grossly inadequate” targets for public, community and affordable housing in new land release and urban renewal.
The City Renewal Agency and Suburban Land Authority Act 2017 requires the Government to set targets for affordable, community, and public housing in new suburbs and where the CRA or SLA are involved in urban renewal.
“After years of advocacy, it’s great that the Greens have ensured that there are now publicly reported targets for affordable, public and community housing targets,” Greens spokesperson for Housing Caroline Le Couteur said today.
“However, these targets will not meet the real and growing demand for affordable housing in our city.
According to the City Renewal Authority and Suburban Land Agency Housing Target Determination Notifiable Instrument made public late yesterday, the renewal sites in Braddon, Turner, Reid and Red Hill will have no affordable, community, or public housing – despite the release of land for 1,490 new homes.
The ACT Greens recently wrote to the Housing Minister Yvette Berry calling on the ACT Government to maintain the existing proportion of public housing throughout Canberra, which we believe is 7.1% of all homes.
Only 143 new public housing homes will be set aside as part of a release of 4,120 homes across Canberra. This means that only 3.5% of new dwellings will be allocated as public housing.
“Given that amounts to less than half the current rate of public housing, this is grossly inadequate,” Ms Le Couteur said.
“If this trend continues, as our population grows, this will place extra pressure on an already tight market—and see fewer Canberrans on lower incomes able to access to public and community housing.”
Providing land for only 34 new community housing residences will also do little to grow community housing supply.
“There’s no silver bullet to fix the housing crisis. There is an opportunity here for the Government to deliver a long-term vision for housing access in our Territory—an opportunity that should not be squandered,” Ms Le Couteur said.
Statement ends