Wednesday, 14 August 2024

Housing

David HODGETT (Croydon) (10:01): Today I want to share Tammy’s story. Tammy has lived in my electorate in a rental property for over 10 years while working in health care. Through no fault of her own she is now facing homelessness, with only a week to try and find another rental property to call home. Her landlord is selling her home as they are unable to afford the new land tax bill. The housing crisis has meant there are not any rental properties available for Tammy. Either they are snapped up quickly or she is priced out of the market due to the ever increasing rental prices.

Tammy’s situation, sadly, is not unique. There are a concerning number of people reaching out to my office with similar stories. The land tax increases are adding to the housing crisis, fuelling the rent increases or forcing people to sell, which in turn creates further homelessness. Where are families and people like Tammy meant to go? They earn a wage and pay their taxes but are struggling to put a roof over their heads due to factors outside of their control. They are the overlooked or forgotten group of people who do not qualify for rent assistance or public housing. The government needs to do more to help families and people like Tammy. We need to be encouraging growth within the rental sector. The land tax increases are the final straw for many landlords who simply can no longer afford to have rental properties available.