A safe and affordable home is essential to living a life with dignity. But right now rents and mortgages are rising at staggering rates, forcing an increasing number of people in this country into poverty.
The Greens are the only party fighting to make renting and housing cheaper, while Labor and the LNP prioritise the profits of big developers, rich investors and banks.
At every level of government, we are fighting for real solutions to the housing crisis. In 2023 we were able to secure $3 billion for urgently needed public housing, which is already being rolled out across the country and represents the biggest investment in public housing in more than a decade - but this is just the start.
Here’s how the Greens would tackle the housing crisis:
- Freeze rent increases, implement long-term rent caps and guarantee renters the right to a lease renewal (unless the rental agreement is breached or the owner needs to move in)
- Establish a National Renters Protection Authority to enforce rights including rent caps, lease renewals and stronger minimum standards for things like heating, cooling and amenities
- Create a publicly owned bank to offer cheaper mortgage rates for owner-occupiers
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Phase out unfair tax concessions for property investors, including:
- Immediately abolishing the 50% capital gains discount for individuals for assets held for more than 12 months
- Phasing out the “negative gearing” deductibility for all investment property interest expenses against personal income for individuals with more than one investment property purchased before 1 July 2023 over a 5-year period
- Invest in more public housing, with a publicly owned developer and an expanded public construction company to deliver universal housing options. A couple of sites I've suggested for public housing in Maiwar include:
- Require developers to deliver 25% public housing in every new development with inclusionary zoning laws
- Crack down on Airbnb-style short-term rental accommodation, including banning entire dwellings from being used as short-term accommodation for more than 45 days per year, except for purpose-built units where needed
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Implement a 5% Vacancy Levy, including:
- on empty homes to urgently free up housing
- on undeveloped land left vacant for six months to disincentivise developer land-banking
You can find more details on our housing policies on the Greens’ Federal Housing spokesperson’s here.