At a multicultural press conference on Thursday, the Commonwealth’s Housing and Homelessness Minister , Clare O’Neil said it was an “incredible privilege to be put in charge of something so broken and having such a profound effect on the lives of the people.”
The housing crisis in our country, the minister said, has been “a generation in the making.”
“We’ve got serious housing challenges around the country. We’ve got house prices rising too fast and a generation of young people feel that housing ownership is out of reach.”
Renters are experiencing distress as well, they”don’t have equal negotiating power with their landlords.” She also pointed to “rising homelessness.”
“I’m in Oakleigh right now, in the heart of Greek Melbourne, and I can visibly see a rising homeless population right here in my own suburb.”
Greens are offend Greek homeowners and migrants
Neos Kosmos asked if she was aware of the Greens’ housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather’s comment on negative gearing and investment properties – only 150,000 in Australia have more than one property investment – who he said that Greeks and migrants, rather than securing the future of their children through investment properties, should invest in shares instead.
“I find it offensive that someone feels comfortable to provide that kind of advice.
“I wouldn’t for a moment suggest giving investment advice to migrants – I have an incredible community of migrant families, whether they’ve arrived, you know, six months ago or 20 years ago or 60 years ago.
“My whole community is built off the blood, sweat and tears of new Australians.
Neos Kosmos said that most migrants, most of us here, would look at property as a bulwark against racism and class ascent. And as a way of class ascent, and asked if migrants can still can aspire to that in Australia?
The housing minister said she was “passionate about housing” and that the reason she got involved in politics was because she cares “about equality.”
“I was raised to believe that Australia is an equal country and that egalitarianism is our most important value.
“In our country, Jack’s as good as his master, and that’s rare and unusual around the world. Ordinary people being able to own their own property is absolutely at the core of that. I disagree with everything that Max Chandler-Mather says, generally and specifically, on these points.”
O’Neil said she was aware that many Greek Australians and other immigrants are not only fervent about home ownership but are also in the building industry.
1.2 million homes in five years
The Minister is focused on building more and wants 1.2 million new homes in five years.
“We need to build more homes at the affordable end of the market – that’s why we want 1.2 million homes built over five years and assist first home buyers.
“Construction capability is very important – we’ve got to build more homes; we need to build our construction sector’s capacity, and one of the most important aspects of that is that we’re training more tradies.
“Fee-free TAFE is now permanent. Tens of thousands of those have been people training in construction.”
O’Neil said that the prime minister has announced a $10,000 apprenticeship boost for apprentices who come into residential construction.
“Then the final thing is that we have upped the intake of construction professionals through the migration system – we brought in 11,000 trained, fully qualified tradespeople into the country. And what we’re doing is pushing for planning reform with the states.”
She said governments like those in New South Wales and Victoria are starting to make “big, bold decisions about how they’re going to simplify their planning schemes to make things a bit easier.”
The minister again underscored the “need for more capital in the home-building market.”
“The Commonwealth is spending, that is, the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund.”
The minister criticised the former LNP government for not doing enough to alleviate the housing shortage.
“We have not been building enough homes for several decades – the housing shortage has gotten so acute that even people who are on two incomes in a family are in rental distress or in a situation where they’re not able to buy a home,” said O’Neil.
The biggest response in housing since World War Two
She promoted her government’s response as being “without question the boldest and most ambitious Australian government on housing since the Second World War.”
“We are the first government since [the Second World War] to take a running tackle at trying to address the mainstream housing issues that are affecting the lives of Australians.”
She said that Labor, since the post-war period, has been at the forefront of urban and housing policy, while she said when “the Liberals are in government, effectively, the Commonwealth steps back.”
“The Coalition did not build a single social and affordable home for their first two terms in office. They said, we’re not going to bother with this; it is a matter for the states.”
Build Build Build
O’Neil said the government is going to “build, build, build.”
“The only way to transform the situation for Australians is to grow the capacity of the construction sector in Australia and make sure that we are building more homes.”
Prime Minister Albanese, O’Neil said, has agreements with the states and territories that we are going “to build 1.5 million homes over five years.”
The Commonwealth will support the lift in construction capacity by “building the labour force significantly, training more tradies, making sure more tradies come through our immigration system, and making sure that more people with trade skills are using those skills in residential construction.”
A key aspect of delivering more housing is to work with the states to reform planning systems.
“One of the biggest barriers we have is state planning systems, which have a default against building.”
She pointed to what she said was a “landmark policy” of financial support for homebuilders and homebuyers.
“We are engaging and making a massive generational investment in social and affordable homes.”
“Through policies like the Housing Australia Future Fund, which are right now building many thousands of social and affordable homes that are desperately needed by our country.”
O’Neil said the Commonwealth was assisting renters in an area that “sits within the states.”
“The Prime Minister has asked the states to agree to a new set of rental standards called A Better Deal for Renters, and he is implementing that through National Cabinet.”
The minister also pointed to the “significant increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance.”
“This is a payment that is paid to people who are receiving other forms of welfare, family tax benefit, unemployment benefits, those sorts of things.”
“We’ve lifted the Commonwealth Rent Assistance rate by 45 per cent; that’s a million households around the country who are getting that increased rate.”
Home ownership the only real ladder of equality
O’Neil underscored the importance of home ownership.
“Home ownership is the cornerstone of Australian citizenship – to have the opportunity for ordinary Australians to buy their own home.”
She pointed to the Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) and the Help to Buy scheme, which have, to date, ped 150,000 Australians to get into their first home… and the Australian government comes in as the bank of mum and dad.”
The Help to Buy bill was one of the bills blocked in the Senate by a coalition of the Greens and LNP.
“If they win the election, Help to Buy disappears, and the taxes go up on new rental properties built under that scheme.”
