Campaigns - Nick Xenophon - Independent Senator for South Australia

This can place incredible strain on families and can create a situation of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.

There is a growing divide between those who are in the property market and those who can't afford to be.

But there is a lot that state and federal governments can and must do to reduce the cost of housing.

We’re not just facing a shortage of dwellings.

I believe there is also a shortage of vision.

We need to fund more courses to train builders and plumbers and architects and brickies to ensure affordable labour.

We have to overhaul planning laws to allow more inner-city development and better use of suburban land.

We have to end the lengthy and unnecessary delays in the planning process, which simply serve to drive up the cost of development. We also need to target unfair state taxes and charges, especially land tax, which drives away investment in housing.

We need to focus on building greener, more energy efficient houses that cost less to run over the life of the building and which reduce the environmental impact of construction.

And we need to ensure Australians have access to fair levels of credit so that they can afford a mortgage and their own piece of the Great Australian Dream.

If you have any ideas to make home ownership more affordable, please drop me a line.

Supporting documentation

Housing Affordability.pdf