June 25 2024
The State Government's housing blueprint is a free kick for developers and a failure to invest in the public housing we need, say the SA Greens.
The ‘Housing Roadmap’ includes fast-tracking major land releases to property developers, strict timelines for councils to approve land divisions (with decision-making power pushed to the State Government if the timelines are not met) and enabling the private sector to compete with the State Government to deliver essential water infrastructure.
“Developers are the big winners in Labor’s housing blueprint. These changes will fast track approvals and neuter local councils with no requirement for developers to build more social or affordable housing in return,” said Greens SA Housing Spokesperson Robert Simms MLC.
“Despite a lot of hype, the Government has announced a series of measures that will benefit property developers but have fallen short of making the investment we need in public housing or compelling developers to make more of a contribution to the public good.”
“Property developers will make significant profits from land releases, and they should be making much more of a contribution to the costs of essential infrastructure that will be required to meet the needs of these future suburbs. The costs shouldn’t be passed onto public.”
“The introduction of contestability potentially opens the door to privatisation of water infrastructure. It's vital that if developers are allowed to assume responsibility for water infrastructure that it is at a standard that doesn't disadvantage homeowners or lead to cost blowouts over time.”
“Hiking up water bills is a slap in the face while people struggle in this housing crisis. The Government should be asking the property development sector to make a greater contribution or reinvesting the money they have resting in surplus to reduce these costs."
"This is more of a mud map than a roadmap. It's a lot of spin but falls well short of the structural changes we need to address the housing crisis gripping our state,” he concluded.