Housing affordability
Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (13:41): The Greens were proud to launch our vision for the future of housing in Victoria, the Greens housing statement, in Parliament this week. This comprehensive package proposes a set of key reforms to address the worst housing crisis Victoria has experienced in decades, including a rent freeze and ongoing rent caps; a big build of 100,000 public homes; a new public builder tasked with building public homes; asking developers to build their fair share through a mandatory minimum requirement of 30 per cent public and affordable housing across the state and 50 per cent in any new special development zones; faster and better planning, creating a new traffic light system to provide quicker planning approvals for affordable, sustainable and livable homes; disincentives for poor-quality development; ending homelessness – a plan to end homelessness within the decade – and make housing a human right; freeing up empty homes through regulating short stays and imposing a 90-day cap; a housing tax system for people, not investors; stamp duty and land tax reform to reduce up-front housing costs and remove disincentives to downsize; and stronger renters rights and better rental standards. With the Victorian Labor government set to announce their own housing statement within a matter of weeks, we are urging the government to use our statement as a benchmark. Now is not the time to cave in to property developers; now is the time for courageous reform that actually makes housing more affordable in Victoria.