This morning's reporting that housing approvals have reached an all-time low underscores the urgent need for a government-owned housing developer, says ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury.
A draft report from Pegasus Economics has identified workforce shortages as the greatest barrier to meeting the government's target of building 30,000 homes over the next decade-none of which are currently price-capped or guaranteed to be affordable.
As stated by Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury:
"If the government is serious about building affordable housing in Canberra-and I stress affordable-then it should be leading the charge by hiring and retaining its own workforce to build it.
"Relying solely on the same private market that caused the housing crisis to fix the housing crisis is a recipe for disaster. This is the same sector that drove prices up in the first place-and now we're kidding ourselves that they'll fix it.
"The government's goal to build 30,000 new homes is certainly commendable, but without a plan to retain a workforce and ensure those homes are actually affordable to someone on minimum wage, it's really a drop in the ocean.
"During the election, the Greens commissioned independent modelling that showed how a government developer can help us avoid tradie shortages while providing housing at prices everyday people can actually afford-by offering steady, secure work through a consistent pipeline of public builds.
