Lines attributable to Max Chandler-Mather MP, Greens spokesperson for housing and homelessness:

Over the last five years the private sector built just under 1 million homes, so Labor announcing that under their plans the private sector will build 1 million homes over five years from 2024 is a complete joke. These homes would have been built anyway.

With the Greens likely to be in balance of power on Labor’s forthcoming housing bill, the Australian Greens Party Room has formally empowered Greens Leader Adam Bandt and Housing and Homelessness Spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather, MP for Griffith, to negotiate with the Government on upcoming legislation establishing the Housing Australia Future Fund. The Greens will push for a much bigger direct government build of housing, a national rent freeze and an upgrade of existing public housing.

Analysis provided by the Parliamentary Library predicts that Labor’s housing plan will deliver only 3% of the social housing Australia will need by 2032. 

According to estimates provided by the Parliamentary Library, Australia currently has a shortfall of 524,200 social housing dwellings, and this is projected to grow to 670,600 dwellings by 2032. 

Greens spokesperson for housing Max Chandler-Mather has today responded to the Housing Minister's comments on social housing, calling Labor's plan to build 20,000 afforable homes over 5 years deeply unambitious and inadequate to address Australia's social housing crisis.

Lines attributable to Max Chandler-Mather MP, Greens spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness

The Greens have today said the Andrews State Government’s unprecedented lockdown of social housing blocks had created appalling outcomes for tenants, urging the government to consider a ‘care first’ response instead of the forceful response exercised so far.

State and Federal members for Melbourne, Ellen Sandell MP and Adam Bandt MP also said the state government’s long term neglect of public housing facilities was a contributor to the harsh response.

 Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP and Housing Spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi have today launched a bold plan to build 500,000 new homes, create 40,000 new jobs and 4,000 new apprenticeships, and push back the risk of recession nationally.

With construction having fallen 7.4% over the year, and with nearly one in three young people struggling to find work, this project will inject crucially needed stimulus into the economy while putting homes into reach for young families.