Australian PM pledges $1.4 billion for affordable homes

Australia is beginning to rival Canada as a socialist state while creeping communism such as 'affordable housing' is foisted upon the masses...

$1.4 billion? Yeah that’s not enough for thousands of homes.

Affordable housing is critical for any nation to supply low-paid workers with good-quality accommodations. Both housing cooperatives and housing associations can play an important role.

420,000 affordable homes in a population of 25 million are low.

Affordable housing has nothing to do with communism.

A$1.4 billion is probably less than 25,000 homes.

420,000 affordable homes in a population of 25 million are low."

That is for sure... Australia will take in roughly 400 thousand new migrants just this year. ( Record number admittedly).

A$1.4 billion is probably less than 25,000 homes.

With respect Wallace, I think it's USD. Article says $2 billion Australian and gives the conversion to $1.4 billion. Even then, how much can an affordable home be built for? Say it's A$1000 (which would be ridiculously cheap), that's still only 2000 homes. I don't think there's a developed nation on earth that could build thousands of homes for A$2 billion.

Ok, A$2 billion will at current construction costs of A$2,200 to A$6,000 /sq m be much less than 25,000 homes.

Exactly. The numbers here don't add up.

Housing cooperatives and housing associations can build better and cheaper housing than the local authorities because less is spent on administration and the tenants become part of the management even with the future possibility of buying.

$1.4 billion? Yeah that’s not enough for thousands of homes.

A$2 billion will at current construction costs of A$2,200 to A$6,000 /sq m be much less than 25,000 homes.

AUD $2 billion at 50,000 per dwelling will make 40,000 homes. Not being built for high profit. These will not be houses but likely blocks of flats or high rise units. From one bedroom units to three bedroom units, perhaps with some few four bedroom units, with an average cost of $50k AUD. There will be a few different floorplans but the key is to keep it simple, use cheap materials and lock in the prices with the builders and suppliers. These buildings will be minimal builds to comply with building regulations. Thin walls, cheap insulation, mass produced fittings and identical buildings. This will provide roofs over the heads of the needy at cheap rent or purchase price.

If the government is smart all will be connected to solar panels to keep power costs for inhabitants as low as possible and make the units as green as possible. An oportunity for local manufacturing and builders around the nation. Lets see if they do it well or stuff it up.

By "affordable homes" they really mean homes for people who cannot afford a home.

Peter14, yeah that's true. I wasn't thinking blocks of flats or apartment living. And Wallace, yep, if they can keep the bureaucracy to an absolute minimum, it might be worthwhile. The other country across the ditch would benefit from that kind of work too, but bureaucracy always screws things up in the end.

and I screwed my math up. Wow, embarrassingly so.

I think it's USD. Article says $2 billion Australian and gives the conversion to $1.4 billion. Even then, how much can an affordable home be built for? Say it's A$1000 (which would be ridiculously cheap), that's still only 2000 homes.

Wow is your math off. 2000 x 1000 = 2 mill, not 2 bill. What do you think is going to happen to the other $1,998,000,000?

LOL, Yep... I screwed it up bad.

Australia needs to look more carefully at where it has gone wrong. The "Australian dream" of the last century was notable for ensuring the typical Aussie lived in a detached house on decent-sized plot and garden. And, because of the level of equality, the typical Aussie was most of the population. Compare that to now. So many sub-divisions with one comfortable old house replaced by 2, 3, or even more (I saw one subdivision that fitted 7 houses on one 1/4 acre plot) smaller, cramped houses with a yard that might just fit 4 people round a table. New estates with houses as close as possible and only a small patio for a yard. Plus crazy prices and the borrowing of many multiples of income to buy even the most dilapidated place in the major cities. Australian has gone very wrong with its housing policies and condemned the typical Aussie to a lifetime of debt to buy a house their grandparents would have refused to live in.

^^^ and it wouldn't be so bad if these homes were near efficient public transportation, but they often aren't which creates traffic problems for a great many people .

The Government needs to do what it used to do many decades ago and subdivide government land on the fringes of cities and towns in rural areas and give them to the disadvantaged with long term low to no interest loans for people to build and own their own homes. With all the land available in this country there is plenty for the government to give away, including in country areas to build up country towns, provide jobs for country citizens and stop people being drawn into the expensive city living.

3RENSHO

Today 03:51 pm JST

Australia is beginning to rival Canada as a socialist state while creeping communism such as 'affordable housing' is foisted upon the masses

You do realise that this is a traditionally conservative policy, right? Traditional labour policy would be to nationalize housing and give everyone according to their need (a British NHS style healthcare for housing). Labor today is yesterday's Conservatives

affordable housing' is foisted upon the masses...

Reality check for those disconnected from events here on Earth: Strange as it may seem, "the masses" are absolutely desperate for affordable housing to be "foisted" on them, you complete _ _er.

Homes for "people who cannot afford a home".

Yes. Correct. And that's a lot of people. Property prices are utterly insane in Australia (and quite a few other countries too).

Housing needs to be available for all sectors of society. There are always those with low-paid jobs doing essential work. Housing is a human right.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-housing/human-right-adequate-housing

@Gareth

So many sub-divisions with one comfortable old house replaced by 2, 3, or even more...

I'm afraid you're missing the point Gareth. Sub-divisions should, in theory, mean more available places. Unfortunately, the fact is the property market is a massive casino. Real value is becoming less and less of a factor.

Over 2 million property investors in Australia. It’s the national sport to own a 2nd property. Housing has been used to generate wealth and any policy to stop it is political suicide. Too many parasites riding on the backs of the working class.

This is a good policy, but given the numbers, more may be required. Social housing is really important. How about matching such policies with a companion one to build homes for the destitute in undeveloped countries? Better than giving money to foreign governments to win influence and pretending it is aid.

Yes. Correct. And that's a lot of people. Property prices are utterly insane in Australia (and quite a few other countries too).

So somebody is buying these expensive homes, therefore, they are affordable.

The UK used to have council houses for the poor until Margaret Thatcher sold them.

Affordable housing means people with low incomes can afford to rent them.

Affordable housing means people with low incomes can afford to rent them.

Sorry, but in reality is means housing for the 10-15% of the population that cannot get jobs or fund their own living. I'm not sure what the solution is but it looks like the rest of us have to chip in through our taxes to pay for them and their offspring. Better than having them begging in the streets I suppose.

Mr Kipling

   Affordable housing means people with low incomes can afford to rent them.

> Sorry, but in reality is means housing for the 10-15% of the population that cannot get jobs or fund their own living. I'm not sure what the solution is but it looks like the rest of us have to chip in through our taxes to pay for them and their offspring. Better than having them begging in the streets I suppose.

There are low-paid workers who are an essential part of the workforce but cannot afford to buy a home or pay high city rent. You benefit every day from these workers, like collecting your trash. Road workers, construction site workers, hospital workers, farm workers, homecare workers, shop workers, and transport. There are also disabled people, infirmed, and retired trying to survive on state pensions.

Affordable housing is not free housing. They are constructed to good standards and let at fair rents. Of course, if the low pay had their wages increased then they could afford other accommodations. But who would pay for those wage increases? You would.

You don't pay Australian taxes. As of 2011, there were 2.17 million public housing units in Japan out of about 60 million homes. There are people in Japan who work but can't afford to rent a place every day of the week.

In New York, average rents are $2000 to $4000 per month. There are about 180,000 public housing units.

If you are someone receiving a good salary and able to rent or buy a decent place, good. But remember all those workers who help support your life.

@Wallace, hear, hear, some of us are comfortably off but that does not mean we don’t wish others to be provided with a decent home.