HOWARD’S HOUSING POLICY EXPOSED

The result of Howard Governments privatization of Public Housing by stealth was now starting to bite with Queenslanders being forced to live in tents according to Minister for Public, Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology.

Mr Schwarten said the Howard Government’s private rental market was now failing in many places in Queensland.

“There are people clamouring onto waiting lists trying to escape living in tents, cars or overcrowded houses,” said Mr Schwarten.

Mr Schwarten said six years ago he first warned that Queenslanders could face a scale of homelessness not seen since the Great Depression or the post war housing shortage.

“Back then I said the Howard Government’s continued removal of funds from public housing in favour of private rental assistance was a disaster waiting to happen and now we see people living in tents who are entitled to rental assistance but cannot access it due to the collapse of the private rental market,” said Mr Schwarten.

Mr Schwarten said the Beattie Government had more than doubled Housing expenditure in his time as Housing Minister.

“At the same time we have introduced a single social housing system and introduced reviewable tenancies to maximize our existing resources.”

Mr Schwarten said the omission of a dedicated Housing Minister at the Federal level was a deliberate ploy by Prime Minister John Howard.

“Howard knows by having no Minister and no budget he can escape scrutiny and criticism and so far he has been proved right as he has been able to skate through 10 budgets without Social Housing being mentioned once,” he said.

Mr Schwarten said the Federal Government had not been receptive to his proposal to put 1000 new private rental properties into the market.

“This required a commitment by Federal, State and Local Governments and while we have put our money where our mouth is there has been no support for this from the Federal Government.

Mr Schwarten said he had recently written to the Federal Minister for Communities to enquire as to whether or not support for the new private product ‘Homelink’ would be forthcoming.

“So far silence is the order of the day and I can understand that Minister Mal Brough is unable to help because the Federal Treasurer will not budge on the issue”, he said.

Media Contacts: David Shankey 32371184