Australia is facing a housing affordability crisis. Millions of people are locked out of the housing market, renters are struggling with high rents, and the waitlist for social housing has blown out to 50,000 people. 

Meanwhile, many parents are worried about how their children will afford a home and young families are struggling to find affordable suburbs to settle down in. Many more just can’t find a place they can afford in a suburb they want to live in.

People wait for over a decade to access public housing in some parts of Australia, while hundreds of thousands of people seek help from homelessness services every year.

Women, especially older women, have been the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness. The Covid-19 pandemic has further deepened this crisis, with many thousands of women and children being forced to choose between returning to violent partners or becoming homeless.

Labor and the Liberals have put the interests of banks, property developers and wealthy investors ahead of everyday people.

The Greens plan include

The Greens will establish a Federal Housing Trust to build a million public and social homes across cities, towns, regions and remote areas over 20 years.

875,000 new public and community houses to slash public housing waiting lists and end homelessness;

125,000 new shared ownership homes, which will allow first-home buyers locked out of the housing market to buy a home where they want to live for $300,000

The scale of the build would obliterate social housing waiting lists and reduce homelessness, especially in groups like
women and children facing domestic violence, First Nations people, and migrants and refugeeswho face higher rates of homelessness. Building one million homes will reduce insecure housing and poverty, place downward pressure on rents and house prices, and stimulate the economy.

Renters 

With more and more people renting long-term, we need to ensure everyone has a secure place to call home – with longer leases and stable rents:

• Cap rent increases 
• End ‘no grounds’ evictions, and give renters the right to longer leases
• Give tenants the right to make minor changes to the home 

Public housing 

• Build 875,000 good quality public homes across Australia 
• Cap rents at 25% of tenant’s income or market rent, whichever is lower
• Ensure good, diverse communities by making the homes available to anyone including teachers, nurses and other workers

Phase out negative gearing 

Right now, because our tax system is stacked in favour of wealthy investors, it’s easier for someone to buy their fifth house than their first. The Greens will phase out negative gearing for people with two or more investment properties, and wind back the capital gains tax discount. We will also prohibit negative gearing for all new house purchases. 

Build subsidised homes for first home buyers 

The Greens will build quality homes for first home buyers in places they want to live. Buyers will be able to purchase the homes for $300,000 with a small deposit and affordable repayments. When people want to leave they can sell the homes back to the government for a fair return.