KILPATRICK CATCHES OUT HOWARD ON HOUSING CRISIS
Published Tuesday, 09 October, 2007 at 04:53 PM
Minister for Public Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology
The Honourable Robert Schwarten
Queensland Housing Minister Robert Schwarten used State Parliament today to expose a Federal Liberal candidate’s admission that a housing crisis existed.
“This is at odds with both the Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello’s statements, which deny the existence of such a crisis,” Mr Schwarten said.
Mr Schwarten said the Liberal candidate for Capricornia, Scott Kilpatrick, was advocating that he had the solution for the housing crisis, a crisis which his leaders claim does not exist.
He told Parliament that Mr Kilpatrick’s solution to this crisis was to find between $304,000 and $317,000 and buy a house from him.
Mr Kilpatrick is a Rockhampton builder.
Mr Schwarten said the problem with Mr Kilpatrick’s solution was that it was about home ownership and ignored the real problem of private rent.
“As I told State Parliament today, Jim Pearce, who asked the question in Parliament, Paul Hoolihan and myself are all aware that workers are struggling to pay rent, with rents in Rockhampton alone rising by 73% in the past five years.”
Mr Schwarten accused Mr Kilpatrick of pushing people into home ownership at any cost, while ignoring the fact that battlers out there are increasingly unable to rent a house.
“Outsourcing of public housing, as announced by Federal Liberal Minister Mal Brough this week, would also exacerbate the problem,” Mr Schwarten said.
Mr Schwarten told Parliament he hoped each and every Queenslander who was facing the crisis acknowledged by Mr Kilpatrick put him last on election day.
Media contact: (07) 3237 1832
“This is at odds with both the Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello’s statements, which deny the existence of such a crisis,” Mr Schwarten said.
Mr Schwarten said the Liberal candidate for Capricornia, Scott Kilpatrick, was advocating that he had the solution for the housing crisis, a crisis which his leaders claim does not exist.
He told Parliament that Mr Kilpatrick’s solution to this crisis was to find between $304,000 and $317,000 and buy a house from him.
Mr Kilpatrick is a Rockhampton builder.
Mr Schwarten said the problem with Mr Kilpatrick’s solution was that it was about home ownership and ignored the real problem of private rent.
“As I told State Parliament today, Jim Pearce, who asked the question in Parliament, Paul Hoolihan and myself are all aware that workers are struggling to pay rent, with rents in Rockhampton alone rising by 73% in the past five years.”
Mr Schwarten accused Mr Kilpatrick of pushing people into home ownership at any cost, while ignoring the fact that battlers out there are increasingly unable to rent a house.
“Outsourcing of public housing, as announced by Federal Liberal Minister Mal Brough this week, would also exacerbate the problem,” Mr Schwarten said.
Mr Schwarten told Parliament he hoped each and every Queenslander who was facing the crisis acknowledged by Mr Kilpatrick put him last on election day.
Media contact: (07) 3237 1832