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It's time we took the high cost of housing seriously

By Adrian Pisarski - posted Friday, 4 June 2004

Point 3:

Governments across Australia should act now to reform and standardise planning systems to make them far more efficient, lower-cost, open and, accountable.

Point 4:

The Australian government should recognise and address the negative economic, industrial and personal impacts of the "boom / bust cycles" in the residential development and home building industry, through policy initiatives to provide greater stability to industry, employees and consumers.

National Housing Alliance members are all the peak representatives across the housing market – building unions, industry associations and community organisations. Its members include the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), the Community Housing Federation of Australia (CHFA), the Housing Industry Association (HIA), National Shelter (NS) and the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA).

The National Housing Alliance is calling for reform across all tenure types - private rental, social housing and home ownership. Rather than every level of Government buck-passing blame to other levels of Government the Alliance calls for a new national cooperative approach to tackle the causes of spiralling housing costs. The formation of this Alliance, amongst partners from across the spectrum of housing industry and policy interests, exemplifies the cooperation that will be required to deliver a more coherent, progressive approach to housing in Australia.

The Australian’s dream of securing their own home should not be left to become further and further out of their reach. The National Housing Alliance seeks to meet this ideal by demonstrating there are down-to-earth solutions and alternatives to current housing problems. It is time the benefits of economic growth, a Federal Budget surplus and renewed cooperation between industry, policy and social service groups were utilized to build a national policy that helps Australians secure a roof over their heads.