2024-06-21
In a housing crisis where every public home makes a life-changing difference to people in our community, the ACT Greens have revealed legislated targets for public, community and affordable housing have repeatedly not been met.
“We desperately need more public housing in Canberra, to give people locked out of the expensive private market somewhere to live,” said Jo Clay MLA, ACT Greens Spokesperson for Planning.
“My questions to Labor have revealed that in the new suburb of Whitlam, Housing ACT refused 32 single residential dwellings allocated to them under legislated housing targets.
“This is on top of the five public and five community homes that were rejected in City West, despite these too being in legislated public housing targets for the site.
“The Greens have promised to build and buy 10,000 more public homes in the next 10 years, while Labor’s Ministers can’t meet their own public housing targets that are set down in law,” Ms Clay said.
“The Labor Ministers are prioritising private development over delivering public housing, preferring to sell off blocks for profit, instead of funding Housing ACT well enough to buy land for public developments.
“The Greens would change the rules so that land the government buys from itself for public housing is sold at below-market prices, so we can hurry up and build the housing Canberrans need.
“With significantly more public housing we could clear the 3000-strong public housing waiting list and provide homes for many more Canberrans struggling in this cost of living crisis.
“Labor has failed to even take up the blocks of land made available for public housing, with their own directorate refusing to accept the homes.
“How many public homes have been rejected? I’ve asked Labor’s Housing Minister. I’m still waiting on the answer.”
BACKGROUND
Question without notice Wednesday 5 June
Greens commitment to build and buy 10,000 public homes, including by funding Housing ACT to be a landlord of choice and discounting land sold by the government to itself for public housing developments.