In this opinion piece, Liberal Senator for the ACT, Senator Zed Seselja, argues it is the ACT Labor-Greens Government’s deliberate squeeze on land supply that is at the core of the ACT housing crisis.
Did you see last week there was new data published by Allhomes advertising the median house price in Canberra has jumped a whopping 36.6% in the last 12 months?
Canberra is now the second most expensive city in Australia in which to buy a house.
It genuinely makes me worry for my kids and feel deeply for all Canberrans struggling to get into the housing market. With the highest rent in the country, saving for a deposit is now almost impossible.
In Canberra, it is clear land supply (or lack of) is at the core of our housing affordability issues.
The local Labor-Greens Government use their monopoly over available land to deliberately squeeze supply and profiteer off land sales – keeping the prices high to charge record land taxes and rates.
One of my first acts as Senator for the ACT was to change the National Capital Plan, making more land available to the ACT Government to release for housing, especially land to the West of the Tuggeranong town centre.
True to form, Labor and the Greens have simply ignored the changes, continuing to price gouge Canberra families and artificially inflate our market.
I don’t often share common ground with Jon Stanhope, Labor’s longest-serving Chief Minister, but on the housing affordability crisis facing Canberrans, I have to agree with Jon.
He pointed out the only other industry in Canberra where the gross profit margin is as high as ACT Government land sales is that of outlawed motorcycle gangs, saying:
“It’s about money more than it is about meeting the housing needs of the people of Canberra.”
New land has not been released in Tuggeranong in decades.
I have delivered reforms that mean Andrew Barr could release land in West Tuggeranong for housing today if he wanted.
And the Liberal-National Government have delivered, among other measures, the First Home Super Saver Scheme, the First Home Loan Deposit scheme, and the First Home Guarantee, helping tens of thousands of Australians get into the housing market.
Meanwhile, the Labor-Greens Government refuse to fix the housing affordability crisis being faced by Canberra families.
We all need to play our part to ensure homeownership is not an unachievable dream in the ACT – I want every family to have the opportunity to own a home in Canberra, and not be forced over the border.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Canberra Daily.
