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Home » FederalElection2007 » FederalElection2007News » Article Rudd's new land plan for housing affordability Email Printer friendly version Normal font Large font By Misha Schubert, Ingleburn October 16, 2007 - 4:23PM Advertisement Kevin Rudd has unveiled a new housing affordability plan in a bid to blunt the Coalition's tax momentum and steal a march on another crucial election issue. In a visit to a new housing development at Ingleburn, on the outskirts of western Sydney, Mr Rudd sought to switch the election debate to housing. He attacked Prime Minister John Howard for saying earlier this year that working families had never been better off, and rounded on Treasurer Peter Costello for suggesting there was no housing affordability crisis in Australia. Mr Rudd said the cost of buying a new home had risen from four to seven times the annual average wage since 1996. He accused the Howard Government of sitting on $6 billion worth of Commonwealth land, which could be released for sale to ensure more affordable land for first homebuyers. The Labor plan would establish a National Housing Supply Research Council to earmark federal land for public release. Departments would have to show cause each year why surplus land should not be released for sale. "It's time we cut through the red tape on proposals such as this," Mr Rudd said. Labor housing spokesperson Tanya Plibersek said the housing affordability crisis had deepened over the decade. "The ordinary family home has become increasingly out of reach for the ordinary Australian family." Under Labor's plans, land would be released provided it met three criteria: that it did not drive up the cost of surrounding homes, that it contributed to the amenity of the area, and that it generate jobs. |
