ACT Labor has failed to meet legislated targets for public, community and affordable housing, the ACT Greens, Labor’s own partners in government, claim.

“The Labor Ministers are prioritising private development over delivering public housing, preferring to sell off blocks for profit, instead of funding Housing ACT well enough to buy land for public developments,” Jo Clay MLA, Greens planning spokeswoman, said.

ACT Labor Housing spokesperson Yvette Berry expressed disappointment with the ACT Greens’ stance against the ACT Government’s public housing plans, arguing that the government had invested more than $1 billion in new and renewed public housing, the largest investment since self-government.

Housing ACT, the government agency responsible for managing public housing in the ACT, refused 32 single residential dwellings in Whitlam, and five public and five community homes in City West that developers allocated to them under legislated housing targets, Ms Clay said her questions to Labor revealed.

“We desperately need more public housing in Canberra, to give people locked out of the expensive private market somewhere to live,” Ms Clay said.

“The Greens have promised to build and buy 10,000 more public homes in the next 10 years, while Labor’s Ministers can’t meet their own public housing targets that are set down in law.

“The Greens would change the rules so that land the government buys from itself for public housing is sold at below-market prices, so we can hurry up and build the housing Canberrans need.

“With significantly more public housing, we could clear the 3,000-strong public housing waiting list and provide homes for many more Canberrans struggling in this cost of living crisis.

“Labor has failed to even take up the blocks of land made available for public housing, with their own directorate refusing to accept the homes.

“How many public homes have been rejected? I’ve asked Labor’s Housing Minister. I’m still waiting on the answer.”

ACT Labor response

Yvette Berry, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, said: “This is a disappointing position for the ACT Greens to take against the Government’s public housing plans. Under this Government, we have invested over $1 billion into new and renewed public housing across the ACT. It is the largest investment into public housing since self-government. Through this investment, the ACT continues to have the highest percentage of public housing per capita, and that will continue as we deliver hundreds of new public housing homes over the coming years.

“There is of course a time lag between when targets are set, a block or blocks are selected by Housing ACT and when they are released. I understand Housing ACT made an informed decision to forgo its allocation in this release in Whitlam due to prohibitive cost due to changes in land values, and the challenging topography of the blocks causing increased construction costs.

“Housing ACT has sought to offset the impact of these forgone sites, which has led to 22 dwellings being under construction for delivery in the 2024/25 financial year and an additional 42 dwellings in the pipeline and to be delivered by end of 2026/27 financial year. There are still sites across Whitlam to be purchased from SLA, all of which will give Housing ACT an opportunity to meet the Public Housing targets.

“The Public Housing targets in Belconnen and Wright are applied on private developments which remain in progress and are part of ongoing Territory planning activities. Once a development approval is granted, Housing ACT will be offered the opportunity to take up these by way of market value acquisitions.

“I’m disappointed that Ms Clay would suggest that there is a priorisiation of private development over delivering public housing. Many of the decisions made about public housing investment over the past four years have been done at the Cabinet level and will help the Government achieve the goals and targets set out and agreed upon in the Parliamentary and Governing Agreement, which she is a signatory.”