After months of campaigning, the Greens have secured $2 billion in new funding for public and community housing. The one off $2 billion “social housing accelerator” is brand new money distributed to the states to start funding new projects, upgrade social housing that’s fallen into disrepair, and buy new empty homes.
The Greens remain in negotiations with Labor on their separate Housing Australia Future Fund, which does nothing for renters and only spends $500 million a year from 2024/25. While Labor spent months refusing to spend money right now on public housing, I’m pleased we’ve been able to secure $2 billion of immediate spending that amounts to four times what Labor plans to spend through the Future Fund. This shows what can happen when the Greens and community mount real pressure on the government.
Labor’s Future Fund, as it stands, will lock in failure and see the crisis get worse. So now we’re asking Labor to take action for the one-third of Australians who rent, by coordinating a national freeze and cap on rent increases, and commit to $2.5 billion every year for public and affordable housing.
Across Australia, 62% of renters are in financial stress, and the Reserve Bank of Australia has forecast rents to rise even faster this year, pushing many people into homelessness or severe financial stress. We urgently need nationally coordinated limits on rent increases and an end to no grounds evictions.
National Cabinet (a decision making body chaired by the Prime Minister and made up of all the State Premiers) is currently considering renters’ rights. So the Greens have deferred the vote on the remainder of Labor’s housing plan until National Cabinet report back in October.
The Greens are firmly committed to negotiating in good faith with Labor, and want to pass a plan in (or before) October that will actually start to tackle the housing crisis.
As your MP, I know tackling the housing crisis is a crucial issue for people in Griffith, so I'm hosting a town hall meeting to share more about how we fight for real action on the housing crisis, and hear directly from you. This is a chance to come with your questions and feedback. I look forward to hearing from you!