Australia’s housing crisis is deepening. Here are 10 policies to get us out of it
The federal budget will be handed down today, and housing will be a key talking point.
- The federal budget will be handed down today, and housing will be a key talking point.
- While home ownership has been the Australian tradition, it should not be the only option for secure and affordable housing.
- Rental housing policies, as opposed to policies aimed at construction, have an immediate widespread impact on housing affordability and security of tenure.
5 policies for rental housing
- Such policies typically accompany caps on annual rent increases.
- This can be in the form of housing vouchers delivered directly to tenants.
- The amounts of rental assistance should be adjusted to reflect the actual rental cost trends of recent years.
- To avoid stigmatisation and ghettoisation, social housing should house people on a range of incomes.
- This puts them at risk of exploitation and increases the overall housing pressure.
5 policies for home ownership
- If enough housing is built to meet buyer demand, and the population remains stable in an area, house prices at the metropolitan level will reduce.
- Height bonuses and tax incentives should be provided to developers who build dense housing – especially in inner cities and next to public transport stations.
- It stems from upper-income classes who cast themselves as progressives defending the local character while in fact they seek exclusivity.
- This type of housing is for people in crisis situations, such as victims of domestic violence, or who are homeless.
- It largely pays for itself because it offsets the social costs of homelessness and offers major benefits for the beneficiaries.
The risks of sticking to the status quo
- Why was the crisis allowed to develop in the first place?
- Because many profit a great deal from a broken housing system – disregarding the inequalities and gentrification waves that come about as a result.
- Australian society should come to share an understanding that a dwelling is a space needed for living.