Australians are increasingly worried about the cost of housing, with affordability becoming a major concern for voters nationwide. As property prices continue to soar and rental markets tighten, many are struggling to find a place they can realistically call home. With an election on the horizon, the issue is gaining traction, prompting questions about how policymakers will respond.
A new poll sheds light on how much this crisis is weighing on voters—and the results could have significant political implications.
In the lush greenery of Turramurra Park, Kelly walks her dogs with a sense of contentment that only a stable home can provide. Her journey to this point, however, was fraught with challenges.
Escaping violence years ago, Kelly found refuge in community housing, a sanctuary that allowed her to transition from survival mode to a life of purpose and ambition. With the support of a Link housing scholarship, she pursued higher education and forged a career as a lawyer, all while ensuring the safety and stability of her children.
Kelly’s story is a testament to the transformative power of accessible housing. It’s no wonder, then, that a recent Redbridge poll, as reported exclusively by 9News, reveals a staggering 73 per cent of voters consider housing affordability a critical factor in their electoral decisions.
This concern is not just a passing thought; it’s a clarion call for political action. An additional 54 per cent of voters expressed a preference for political parties that advocate for increased social housing, with a mere 5 per cent indicating opposition to such measures.
The Community Housing Industry Association’s chief executive, Wendy Hayhurst, echoes the sentiment of many Australians when she points out the growing difficulty of balancing private rent and bills. The struggle is real and widespread, touching the lives of people from all walks of life.
‘Wherever you go, you find people these days can’t afford to rent privately and pay the bills as well,’ she said.
In response to this pressing issue, the Labor government has initiated the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, aimed at bolstering public housing. Yet, voices from the Community Housing Association are calling for even more ambitious measures—a quadrupling of the fund.
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil said they are committed to delivering on this substantial investment, recognising its potential to ‘seriously impact’ the housing market’s challenges.
The Coalition, not to be outdone, has pledged to invest in infrastructure that will facilitate future home construction. This is a crucial step, as housing costs continue to be the primary driver of living expenses, which in turn remain the foremost concern for Australian households.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher acknowledges the spectrum of housing needs, from homelessness to home ownership, and assures that the Labor government is exploring additional ways to alleviate the burden on those who depend on Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
The call for action doesn’t stop with the major parties. The crossbench, represented by voices like Senator Jacqui Lambie, demands legislation that directly addresses the cost of living.
‘If every piece of law you’re putting up this week does not reduce the cost of living, then you’re failing this country,’ she said.
As we consider the landscape of Australian housing, it’s clear that the issue is not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about the lives and well-being of millions of Australians like Kelly, who seek nothing more than a safe place to call home.
Now, we turn to you, our readers. How has housing affordability affected your life? Do you believe the current measures are sufficient, or is there more to be done? Share your thoughts and experiences with the YourLifeChoices community in the comments below.
Also read: NAB slashes mortgage rates: Is it time to refinance?
We have just had a rent increase that is +10% over the first 12 months rising to +20% over the second 12 months. Nowhere else available. We’ll pay for the first 12 months but unless the pension increases by 20% we’ll have trouble meeting the second rise. Never thought this was possible in Australia. Too many immigrants for the number of houses. Simple maths.
I ‘dodged a bullet’ last August with my rent staying the same as it was when I first moved in, but I’m really scared that my rent may be going up by at least 10% this year, which will make it unaffordable. I’ve been told by NSW Housing that the maximum rent is around $320 per week! Where would I get that extra $70 per week from? How can they have such an unreasonable expectation of a single age pensioner when the pension doesn’t go up by $80 per fortnight.
I also have to consider the number of steps into/out of the premises, as due to my disability I can’t climb stairs, and this severely limits the properties I can apply for.
I have the tightest budget I can afford, and I’m still paying back my car loan (over $17,000 to go) at $150 per fortnight. It’d be a simple thing to tell my ex that I can’t afford the repayments on the car if my rent is going up by that amount. We have an agreement that the loan will be paid off, and if I default on the loan, it’d leave me without a reliable vehicle and no way of purchasing a comparable one with the modifications I need to have done just so that I can drive it.
I can’t take advantage of public transport, as it’d take me 15 minutes to walk to the nearest bus stop, and then home again, especially when I have many appointments and the transport doesn’t go anywhere near my medical practitioners. Even to get to the hospital and home after hours – where’s the transport, especially at 3am Sunday morning – absolutely nowhere, not even taxis. I don’t live in one of the major cities in NSW, so there’s no public transport anywhere about at that time of the morning, and I can’t ring a friend to get me home, as they won’t want to be getting out of bed at that time in the morning. I have no family living within my city.
I’ve been on the housing list for 8 1/2 years, and still absolutely nothing available. They say that they have to house the homeless before anyone else, but they don’t think about those of us who may be homeless if our rents are going up at such a rate of knots. I certainly don’t want to be in that situation, but if push comes to shove, it may happen later this year.
Does not affect oldies like me who became home owners forty or fifty years ago but I feel very sorry for those who don’t own their home today because it’s become impossible for some and very difficult for nearly all the rest to buy one.
The Liberal and Labor parties will not fix the problem because their own members are housing investors and love the rising prices making them richer.
So you are wasting your time voting for them if you want unaffordable housing fixed.
The causes are simple, a mix of high immigration and tax incentives for housing investors drive up prices. Removing or seriously limiting both these factors will bring down prices of existing property but might have little effect on the cost of building new houses.
I wasn’t in any situation to be able to afford even a 1 bedroom unit in Sydney when I lived there when I was younger. Women were ‘thought of’ as being unable to afford to service a home loan, even the 1970s, without a partner.
By the time I was married, my ex wouldn’t even let me have a fortnightly budget to work with, as he controlled all the money, even my pay when I was working. I finally left that situation and have been renting, originally with my young son, and now as I’m older by myself. I don’t have any family who can help me with a solution, as they have their own properties to either pay off, or upkeep, and they’re not getting any younger, nor am I.
If the HIA and the Labor Government actually wanted something done, instead of paying lip service, they would address the shocking state of the building industry and the rampant fraud and extortion by builders that is permitted to continue by ”regulators” run by ex-builders, funded by builders, corrupt, lazy and useless.
Thousands of people who actually have the funds to pay for a home of their own are having their lives destroyed and their savings wiped out by builders – usually fully licensed – who break the law, extort, defraud, do shoddy and defective work, and face ZERO consequences because the ”regulators” don’t care, the court system is far too slow and expensive to be of any use to victims, and contracts are not worth the paper they are written on because they cannot be enforced.
Why is the HIA happy to allow this situation to continue? Why are HIA and MBA contracts 1000% in the builder’s favour? Why do we see no push from HIA or MBA for the regulation system to be fixed so that it serves the interests of the industry and clients, not the criminal builders who are doing so much harm. Honest builders and tradies want it fixed. They are as angry as the client victims of criminals. But it seems a builder license is a license to commit serious theft, fraud, extortion and abuse with ZERO consequences.
In Queensland (and possibly other states) a building company doesn’t even have to have any knowledge or or experience in building. Anyone can form a company, just naming a ”licensee” who has a building license. That licensee can be the nominee for up to 3 building companies and have nothing to do with any of the them.
The system is a disgrace. In Queensland, there have been calls for reform for years, highlighting massive failures of the QBCC. But the State Labor Government did NOTHING. And the Federal Labor Government clearly doesn’t care.
How can you solve a housing crisis if even those who can afford to have a home constructed for them cannot get what they pay for?