South Australia is slipping down the property ladder, lagging behind on five key indicators that are compounding the housing crisis.
While the Labor Malinauskas Government picks and chooses statistics that suit their political agenda, they cannot hide from the reality.
- Adelaide is the 6th least affordable city to buy a home in the world and 2nd least affordable in Australia (Demographia)
- Adelaide is the least affordable of any of Australia’s capital cities to rent (Corelogic ANZ Housing Affordability Report)
- SA is the poorest state in the country on a household income basis per person (ABS)
- South Australia will be 47,000 workers short in the construction, property and water industries by 2035 (Build Skills Australia)
- $237,000 of cost to purchase a new house and land package go to state fees (HIA)
Leader of the Opposition, Vincent Tarzia, said decades of poor planning under Labor have held South Australia back.
“Labor has been in power for almost 20 of the past 24 years, these issues didn’t happen overnight, they are the result of Labor’s historic and current failures,” Mr Tarzia said.
“Let’s not forget that it was the Labor Government who introduced residential growth boundaries on the Greater Adelaide Region in the first place, and now they are wanting a pat on the back for partially addressing the problem that they caused.
“Instead of helping South Australians getting into the housing market now and easing the cost of living, Labor’s answer is to pay for their failures with increases to water bills and record stamp duty revenue, while spruiking homes that won’t be built for years.
“What South Australians need is real cost of living relief, including sensible measures to put more money back in their pockets, rather than into the Malinauskas Government’s coffers.”
Shadow Minister for Housing, Michelle Lensink, said the Liberal Opposition is focused on policies that provide better housing options for all South Australians now and into the future.
“We’ve not only supported the easing of restrictive growth boundaries, but we’ve also put forward reasonable options for additional land for development, equivalent to 10,000 more homes,” Ms Lensink said.
“The Government blocked those amendments in Parliament, preferring instead to focus on land releases that are unlikely to see any residents move in this decade.
“No one is suggesting the solution to the housing crisis is simple, but the Government’s narrow focus on new builds does not help those struggling to find a home now.
“We want to see relief on water bills, stamp duty and options for young people wanting to buy a home closer to the city.
“The Labor Government has already ‘borrowed’ our policy to fast track some apprenticeship courses, and we want to work in a bi-partisan way to help ensure all South Australians can get and keep a roof over their head.
Options already put forward by the Tarzia Liberal Opposition include:
- Seven-point plan to boost apprenticeship numbers
- Stamp duty relief for first home buyers to purchase existing homes
- Unlocking more land, not suitable for farming, closer to ready infrastructure
- Setting targets for housing and construction materials
- Cost of living relief to put more money back in South Australians’ pockets to help ease housing stress, including scrapping the $85 hike on SA Water bills
