This morning’s decision by the big four banks to do nothing for homeowners risks putting families out on the streets, Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP, and Housing spokesperson, Mehreen Faruqi, said today, calling for the government to get big banks to give vulnerable homeowners a residential ‘mortgage holiday’ to make sure families don’t lose their homes.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson for Housing is demanding emergency measures to support people to keep a roof over their heads during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this difficult time when there are even more workers in precarious work and others needing to take time off we must guarantee there will be no evictions and enough resources for crisis housing.

 Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP and Housing Spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi have today launched a bold plan to build 500,000 new homes, create 40,000 new jobs and 4,000 new apprenticeships, and push back the risk of recession nationally.

With construction having fallen 7.4% over the year, and with nearly one in three young people struggling to find work, this project will inject crucially needed stimulus into the economy while putting homes into reach for young families.

Greens Senator for NSW and Housing Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed the Senate supporting her call for the Commonwealth to review the adequacy of Commonwealth Rent Assistance payments. The Productivity Commission has found that two thirds of low-income renters in Australia are in rental stress – spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent.

Senator Faruqi said:

“It is fantastic to see the Senate supporting the Greens’ motion to review the level of rent assistance, particularly during Anti-Poverty Week.

I, and also on behalf of Senators Dodson and Siewert, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) Anti-Poverty Week runs from 13 to 19 October 2019,

(ii) the Productivity Commission has found that two-thirds of low­ income renters in Australia are in rental stress – spending more than 30% of their income on rent,

(iii) 170,000 Australian households are left with less than $35 a day after covering their rent, and

(iv) the Productivity Commission has stated that Commonwealth Rent Assistance has not kept up with rising rents; and

I rise to speak on the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment Bill 2019. I'll say from the outset that we all know that our housing system is broken. In fact it is monumentally messed up; there are no ifs or buts about it. For many years we've gone from one news headline to another about the housing crisis only to be met with a very lukewarm policy response from the government. Here we are today with another one that will not work.

Greens Spokesperson for Housing, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has reacted to a new Productivity Commission report showing that two thirds of low income renters spend more than 30% of their income on rent, the commonly used benchmark for identifying rental stress. Half of those remain ‘stuck’ in stress four years on. 

Senator Faruqi has called for the Federal Government to review and increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance. 

Senator Faruqi said:

I rise to speak to the National Rental Affordability Scheme Amendment Bill 2019 on behalf of the Greens. While the Greens will be supporting this bill, I want to make it very clear that this bill does not address the real issues of rental affordability and housing stress that the community is facing more and more every single day. We know that our housing system is completely broken. There are no ifs and buts about that whatsoever. For many years now we have gone from one news headline to another about the housing crisis, only to be met with lukewarm policy responses by this government.

Australian Greens Senator and Spokesperson for Housing, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to today’s Australian Institute of Health and Research report which shows Australia has lost 20,000 public housing units in the last decade. She welcomed the increase in community housing, but said public housing must be a bigger part of the housing mix.

Senator Faruqi said:

“It is time for the Federal Government to step in and show leadership on the housing crisis. We know that social housing in general has not kept pace with demand.

Australian Greens Senator and Housing Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called the Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Servicer, Luke Howarth MP, completely out of touch for his comments around putting a ‘positive spin’ to homelessness and housing stress.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Minister Howarth is completely out of touch if he thinks there is any way to positively spin the number of people who are homeless. What an incredibly insensitive gaffe.