Australia experiencing housing crisis needs social housing fund: think tank

[ad_1]

In its latest report, the Grattan Institute states that Australia is facing a housing crisis. In Australia, citizens spend more on housing than they used to.

Think tanks have called on the federal government to create a Social Housing Future Fund to fund new social housing stocks that are declining proportionally to all housing.

According to that analysisThe number of public housing in Australia has barely increased over the last two decades, but the population has increased by 33%. Therefore, that percentage has dropped from 6% in 1991 to less than 4% today.

“The poorer Australians have to rent in the private market,” writes Brendan Coates, director of economic policy programs at the Grattan Institute. “Median low-income social lessors pay 24% of their income on rent, compared to 37% of typical low-income private lessors.”

October 2020, Minister of Housing Michael Sukkar Said A statement that Coates believes “is not unfounded” at a time when the delivery and construction of public housing was the responsibility of the states and territories.

“Ten years after the last major federal social housing investment … the state’s investment in social housing was anemic,” Coates said. “The federal government needs to demand that the state government be in line with the federal contribution to new social housing.”

He also said that more social housing alone could not solve the Australian housing crisis and proposed a 40 percent increase in federal rental aid.

“This will be a fairer and more cost-effective way to reduce the financial stress and poverty of poor renters,” Coates said.

Epoch Times Photo
On June 15, 2021, a person talks on the phone on the balcony of an apartment in Melbourne, Australia. (AAP Image / Daniel Pockett)

another report The Australian Social Services Council (ACOSS) and the University of New South Wales have also called on the federal government to reduce rent stress in low-income households by raising rent aid by 50%.

Cassandra Goldie, CEO of ACOSS, said:

Jason Claire Housing Minister Said Rents have “sloped” across the country, making them the largest invoices many Australians have struggled to pay and catch up with.

Claire said the elected Labor government would set up the Australian Government Future Fund for 30,000 social and affordable homes nationwide.

The Epoch Times contacted Sukkur’s office for comment, but did not respond in time for the announcement.

Rebecca Chu

follow

[ad_2]