How Labor plans to fix the housing affordability crisis
By Fergus Halliday
14 May 2021
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1 minute read
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Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has proposed the creation of a new $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund to tackle the housing affordability and homelessness crises.
“I’m proud to say that Labor in government will create a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, with the annual investment return to build social and affordable housing and create thousands of jobs,” Mr Albanese said.
Announced as part of the opposition’s formal budget reply speech, the proposed Housing Australia Future Fund would see a Labor government build 20,000 social housing properties over the first five years.
Warning âoff-budgetâ spending could hit AAA rating
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A leading credit rating agency has warned Laborâs plans to inject up to $45 billion into special investment funds for housing, the energy grid and manufacturing could weigh on Australiaâs AAA rating.
While the so-called âoff-budgetâ spending has the political advantage of appearing to be fiscally responsible by not increasing the deficit, the investments would still be counted as debt by credit agency S&P Global Ratings.
Both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese have made âoff-budgetâ spending a feature of their budget week pitches.Â
Dominic Lorrimer/Alex Ellinghausen
Labor is exploring using more off-budget measures to pay for its policies, while Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese also flagged policies to help people buy their own homes as he seeks to make soaring house prices a key campaign theme.
Government to hand down the ‘biggest’ budget deficit in Australian history 11/05/2021|2min
Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness Jason Clare says despite the government cutting $53 billion off the forecast budget deficit, it will still be the “biggest” budget deficit in Australian history.
“This deficit that the government will hand down tonight is three times the size of the biggest deficit we used to get Australia out of the GFC, to stop a recession and to save all of those jobs”.
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Family Home Guarantee policy is maximum hype and minimum help for those in need11/05/2021|7min
Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness Jason Clare says the government’s Family Home Guarantee is a “tiny” policy with “maximum hype and minimum help” for people who desperately need it.
Under the package single parents will need to save a 2 per cent deposit or just $8,000 while the remaining 18 per cent will be guaranteed.
“This policy is so small you can barely see it,” he said.
“There’s a million single parent families around the country … it’s only going to help 2,500 a year.
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Single parents buying their first home may soon be able to with a deposit of only two per cent under a new federal scheme.
The program allows first home buyers to obtain a loan for a new or newly-built home with a deposit of as little as two per cent with the government guaranteeing up to 18 per cent of the loan.
Under the measure announced ahead of Tuesday s federal budget, up to 10,000 first-time buyers with dependants will be able to access the scheme over four years.
Minster for Women s Economic Security Jane Hume says the aim is to make the great Australian dream accessible for single mothers.