Where is the Coalition’s housing policy?

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ScreenHunter_03 Jun. 26 21.56

By Leith van Onselen

A reader has just sent me a link to the Coalition’s policies and discussions page, which contains 48 discussion papers outlining the Coalition’s policies on just about everything. Here’s the list of topics:

You will notice above that there is no Coalition housing policy. Aparently, things like “creating a green army” and providing “fair indexation of military service pensions” are more important than the single biggest purchase anyone will make and by far the biggest asset class in Australia.

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By way of comparison, compare Australia’s two major parties’ neglect of housing policy against the upcoming debate on New Zealand’s “housing crisis” that will take place next week on TV3, featuring a range of Government and Opposition politicians (media release below):

This month, The Vote tackles housing, asking “How do we fix New Zealand’s housing crisis?” In a piece of television history, the people answering that question are the political powerbrokers, in the first primetime multi-party debate to be held outside an election campaign, screening on Wednesday 11 September, at 8.30pm on TV3.

Just over a year from the 2014 General Election, and as the Labour party prepares to select its next leader, Kiwis will get their best chance to compare Government and Opposition approaches to the housing crisis. In a departure from its usual format, The Vote will be divided into three parts, each covering a key area of the housing debate: foreign ownership, first home buyers and the housing shortage.

The Vote: Housing Special will give Kiwis a rare insight into the Government’s plans, and the alternatives offered byOpposition parties…

Housing has been the topic of heated debate this year as prices in New Zealand hit record highs and home ownership rates fell as low as they’ve been for 50 years. Just 65 percent of Kiwis now own their own homes, down from 75percent in the 1990s. In that time, house prices have more than doubled…

“Housing literally hits people where they live, so this month we’re asking politicians for their solutions – what can they do to stop the next generation of Kiwis from being a generation of renters?

“It’s the first time six parties have agreed to debate on primetime television outside an election campaign, and that’s because New Zealanders care so much about this issue. We all need to know what the future holds for housing in New Zealand.”

Media Release – The Vote Housing Special-1

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.