MEDIA RELEASE: Budget 2019 must address the ongoing national housing crisis on Tuesday

01/04/2019

The Government needs to acknowledge and address Australia’s national housing crisis in the 2019 Budget on Tuesday 2 April.

Everybody’s Home, a national alliance of community, housing and homelessness organisations, is calling on Treasurer, the Hon. Josh Frydenberg to deliver investment that will make housing more affordable and decrease homelessness in the 2019 Budget.

“Homelessness in Australia has increased to record levels and more than 811,000 Australian households are going without basics just to pay the rent, but the 2018 Budget failed to deliver any relief,” said Everybody’s Home campaign spokesperson, Kate Colvin.

“We are, once again, reaching out to the Federal Government to recognise the ongoing housing crisis in the 2019 budget.”

“The Government currently spends $11.8 billion [[1]] on housing assistance for property investors through negative gearing and capital gains tax exemptions – almost twice as much as it spends on social housing, rent assistance and homelessness put together [[2]],” Ms Colvin said.

The Federal Government spent $1.6 billion in 2018-19 for social housing and specialist homelessness services and $4.5 billion onCommonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) [[3]].

In the 2019-20 Federal Budget the Everybody’s Home campaign is calling on the Federal Government to:

• Reduce tax breaks to property investors
• Reallocate tax savings to social and affordable housing investment to begin delivering the 500,000 social and affordable rental homes Australia needs
• Increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance to provide immediate relief for renters in chronic rental stress, and
• Invest in homelessness services.

“We are calling on Prime Minister, Hon. Scott Morrison, and Treasurer, Hon. Josh Frydenberg to fix the broken housing system, starting with the 2019 Budget.”

“Housing is the single biggest cost of living issue for Australia. It affects thousands of households in every single electorate in every single state and territory,” Ms Colvin said.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: ALIYA AHMAD 0428 684 307