Why we need to act.
Housing is one of the biggest issues facing people in Wentworth.
Rents and house prices are surging, home ownership is falling, and a generation of young people could soon be locked out of home ownership forever.
The current crisis is the result of decades of failed policy from the major parties in Canberra. Taking urgent action to address it has been one of my top priorities.
What I’m doing about it.
I’ve hosted a series of Housing Forums to better understand your views. We got together with the experts and engaged with over two hundred people to build a new vision for housing policy in Wentworth. I also surveyed over 500 Wentworth residents about their concerns, goals and ideas for solutions concerning the housing crisis. A summary report of this community feedback can be found here.
The discussions have informed the policies I’m advocating for in Canberra, where I’ve pushed the PM on housing in Question Time and joined fellow independent Dai Le in calling a parliamentary debate on the need for urgent action. My focus has been around:
- Advocating for greater supply of housing including social and affordable housing
- Increasing protections for renters
- Reviewing the tax treatment of housing to increase housing affordability.
- Reducing the power bills of renters and apartment-dwellers through climate action
- Ensuring we have the skilled workforce required to build the homes we need.
We are making some progress.
National Cabinet has announced several of the policies I’ve been advocating for, including measures to boost housing supply and strengthen renter protections.
The $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund has also now passed the parliament – following improvements from the crossbench – paving the way for new social and affordable homes to be built.
However, we are still waiting on seeing aspirations put into action on a number of fronts, and the government aspiration needs to be significantly greater.
I will continue my advocacy on the measures above, further develop my housing policy, as well as advocate for a Citizens’ Assembly on Housing to create the space for a proper national debate on housing.
Watch and listen.
- Sky News – Young people ‘most critical’ to retain in Sydney yet are ‘pushed out’ due to housing crisis. (link)
- ABC Insiders - Allegra Spender: Young people are feeling abandoned by the tax and housing systems (link)
- Sky News – Allegra Spender calls for Australia to focus on growing housing (link)
- Democracy Sausage Podcast: Breaking the housing deadlock with Allegra Spender (link)
- ABC RN Drive - Labor housing fund not adequate as it is: Allegra Spender (link)
Doing politics differently: a Citizens’ Assembly on housing.
Despite the positive actions we’ve pushed this government to take on housing, there’s still much more to do. And real change will require some tough trade-offs.
In a world where traditional politics often struggles to find common ground, a Citizens' Assembly provides an opportunity to do politics differently and achieve consensus.
Whether it's fostering consensus on climate change policy in France, or shaping Ireland's stance on abortion, Citizens’ Assemblies have proven their effectiveness.
A Citizens’ Assembly on housing would engage around one hundred real Australians – spanning rural, regional, and urban areas, including homeowners, and renters – and come to consensus proposals on what more the government should do.
Learn more about a Citizens’ Assembly.
- Crossbench call for a Citizens Assembly on Housing Affordability – Allegra Spender (link)
- Iain Walker from newDemocracy explain the basics of a Citizens Assembly (link)
- Australian Financial Review - Spender seeks Senate support for citizens’ assembly on housing (link)
- Sydney Morning Herald - If politicians can’t fix the housing crisis, can the people do it for them? (link)
- Canberra Times – 'Slow motion car crash': MPs call for housing summit (link)
- News.com.au - Crossbenchers call for citizens assembly on housing affordability to change debate around ‘crisis’ (link)