Housing Crisis

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:29): I rise to speak on an issue that will be of great importance to many South Australians as we approach Halloween, and that is the horror housing crisis under Labor. We have seen for years the housing crisis continuing to get worse and worse under the Malinauskas Labor government and indeed it is a horror story that is confronting many South Australians. People talk about the Australian dream of being able to get into the housing market, but it has become a nightmare and the reality is that it is very clear from recent events that the Malinauskas government does not have a plan to get this crisis under control.

Just last week we saw as the centrepiece of their housing election pitch a new plan, a code amendment that waters down the requirement for new developments to have some of those basic amenities like a private bathroom, a private kitchen or a private balcony. It is a really sad indictment on the Malinauskas government that the extent of their vision to get people into the housing market is sacrificing some of these basic amenities. South Australians should not have to give up private bathrooms and private kitchens just so that they can afford to get a house.

The other thing we saw was the government announcing that it will relax the height limits for new developments in the CBD. I am not against the idea of more skyscrapers in the CBD; however, how many of these new builds will be affordable for ordinary South Australians? How many South Australians will be able to afford to purchase these apartments? More luxury apartments are not the answer to the housing crisis. To add insult to injury, the Malinauskas government has pledged $500 million to a guarantor fund to support some of these developments. Where is the investment in public housing?

I recognise that the Malinauskas government has broken with type in that, I think, it is the first Labor government in many years not to sell off our public housing stock. I recognise, under the Rann government, the huge amount of public housing stock that was sold off and we are dealing with the ruinous consequences of that now. But, the government needs to step up and actually put some money on the table. Where is the significant investment in public housing? It is not enough for the Malinauskas government to say they are going to do land releases. It is not enough for the Malinauskas government to say they are going to do code amendments that relax some of the requirements for developments.

This is a government that is also suggesting that the way forward in terms of our housing supply is mandating double garages. Under their proposal you do not even have to have a front door, but you need to have a double garage. This is the extent of the lack of vision from SA Labor as we head towards the state election. That is why the Greens were very proud to announce the first part of our housing policy last week: a plan to restore the mission of the South Australian Housing Trust. Labor has brought back the name. We want to bring back the mission and charge them with building 20,000 new public homes over four years.

The government will say that they cannot possibly do that, but we have heard the transport minister this week bragging about the success of the north-south corridor project, a project that we know has cost South Australian and Australian taxpayers $15 billion in total. Do not tell me we cannot find the billions of dollars necessary to build the housing we need.

It is outrageous that we see so much government funding, so much public money, being funnelled into a project like this when we have people sleeping on the street, desperate for a roof over their head. This is the epitome of tunnel vision from the Labor Party, and it is very clear as we hurtle towards the state election that they do not have the policies or the programs to get this housing horror story under control. Make no mistake, we, the Greens, will be doing everything we can to advocate for sensible housing policy in the lead-up to the next election, and no matter who is in government I will be holding their feet to the fire to make sure they deliver the housing we desperately need.