Housing supply underpins housing affordability and Australia’s home ownership rate. Ensuring housing supply by responding to changes in demand in a timely way should be the basis for all government actions that influence the housing market.

Supporting the delivery of all forms of homes along the housing continuum must also be a priority. If supply falls in any one sector, it will directly affect the affordability of housing in each of the other sectors.

The pandemic has directly changed people’s approach to housing. The type of home people prefer, the location and the way they use their home have all changed. A home has always been our haven – post pandemic, many more Australians also see their home as their workplace, their retreat and they have refocused on their home as a key part of their future financial stability.

Property taxes are an important source of revenue that governments use to fund essential services, however the quantum of taxes on housing are excessive and inefficient. The high levels of tax inhibit supply and detract from the capacity of the industry to deliver affordable housing to the market. Housing is already the second most heavily taxed good in Australia – it must not become the highest.

The policy settings that emerge from governments over the next five years must recognise ‘housing matters’ and set the scene for success.

GOALS

Support home building and strong communities by:

• Increasing the rate of home ownership in Australia
• Working with governments to identify long term solutions for below market rate private rental housing for low to moderate income households
• Maintaining government support for home ownership as the foundation of strong communities
• Maintaining government support for a stable supply of social and affordable housing managed by governments and the community housing sector

Recognise the importance of housing for a secure future by:

• Gaining recognition that home ownership provides the basis of a stable financial retirement

Ensure a fair and equitable treatment for all types of housing and tenures by:

• Retaining current tax arrangements that support the supply of private market rental housing
• Monitoring the integration of market rate ‘build to rent’ housing into the private rental market to limit any negative impact on ‘mum and dad’ investors and rental housing supply
• Implementing tax reforms that improve new housing delivery and land supply by reducing the disproportionate tax burden on residential development

Support a growing Australia by:

• Maintaining a level of immigration that supports economic growth and development of a diverse and productive workforce
• Establishing a visa category for temporary skilled trade contractors seeking to migrate to Australia and operate as a business rather than an employee