with
JASON CLARE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL SERVICES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES
MEMBER FOR BLAXLAND
With the construction industry hurtling towards a cliff, today’s construction sector support announcement falls a long way short of what is needed to prevent massive job losses in the building industry.
Six weeks after Labor began calling for a National Housing Stimulus Plan, HomeBuilder has arrived and it’s a massive missed opportunity.
It is incredibly disappointing that the Morrison Government could fund a housing construction program but not one cent for social housing.
HomeBuilder will not build a single home for people who need them the most – mums and kids fleeing domestic violence, veterans sleeping in parks, or essential workers.
The less done now to protect tradies’ jobs and support the hundreds of small and family-run businesses, the harder and longer the recovery will be.
Labor has repeatedly called on the Morrison Government to ensure that their construction support package included:
- Construction of more social housing;
- Repair and maintenance of existing social housing;
- Construction of more affordable rental accommodation for frontline workers;
- Expansion of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme for new builds; and
- Grants to first home buyers who build their first home.
Industry representatives from the Master Builders Association and the Property Council of Australia, to the Community Housing Industry Association, National Shelter and Homelessness Australia have called for much more substantial packages.
This is another example of the Morrison Government selling Australians short.
After the biggest ever budget bungle with JobKeeper, Robodebt, bushfire relief and sports rorts, Australians desperately needed an effective, well executed plan to protect jobs, bolster the recovery and set Australia up for the future.
THURSDAY, 4 JUNE 2020
