Building approval statistics released today show that dwelling approvals continue to drop sharply, falling 8.1% in April alone and 24.1% in the previous year.

Lines attributable to Max Chandler-Mather MP, Greens spokesperson for housing and homelessness:

With private housing construction plummeting, now is the perfect time for the government to take up the slack in the construction industry by investing billions of extra dollars each year in building public and affordable housing. 

Rather than gambling $10 billion on the stock and only spending some of the returns in a few years time, Labor should do what governments used to and invest billions of dollars now directly building public and affordable housing. 

Australia has the construction capacity to build 110,000 public and affordable homes over the next five years, it can afford the $5 billion a year it would cost, all we need is the political will from the Federal Labor government. 

With people sleeping in cars and tents because they can’t find an affordable home, and construction industry jobs at risk as private approvals collapse, it’s a no-brainer for the government to step in and invest billions of dollars now and build the public and affordable housing Australia so desperately needs.