2020-05-05
Australian Greens Housing spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has backed a call from a coalition of peak housing and homelessness groups to ramp up social housing construction to help solve the housing crisis and generate jobs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The government should be investing now to make sure everyone has a roof over their head. Australia is in desperate need of more social housing. Filling this gap now by constructing new homes will also act as a much-needed economic stimulus.
“Immediate social housing construction is a vital part of building a better world on the other side of this pandemic. It will also create tens of thousands of jobs. Over the next decade, we must build 500,000 new public and community high-quality, climate-conscious houses that can become safe and secure homes for so many people in need.
“Long overdue maintenance and upgrading will make existing social housing safe and liveable for people on low incomes and benefit existing social housing tenants, while providing jobs.
“Relying on the market has utterly failed to address our housing crisis, leaving some of the most vulnerable people on the verge of homelessness or in chronic rental stress. It’s time for the Federal Government to lead from the front with big investment to build public and community housing.
“Every week now we see more people locked out of affordable housing. This is simply unsustainable and inhumane. Things have to change,” she said.