Big spending Budget squibs it on housing affordability crisis
Queensland Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett says the government's failure to act on the nation's major crisis in housing affordability shows an inexcusable lack of courage and vision.
"This government has left housing affordability in the too hard basket, despite the huge impact of skyrocketing housing costs on millions of Australians," Senator Bartlett said.
"The mountain of pre-election Budget bribes won't be enough to make up for the continued lack of action.
"Any fool can toss clumps of money back to the public when the tax take is the highest on record.
"The harder, but much more essential work, is fixing structural flaws in key parts of our economy such as the long-standing housing affordability problems.
"Housing costs are causing a rapidly growing, and potentially permanent, wealth gap in Australian society. Many Australians know they or their children face a lifetime of debt trying to achieve home ownership.
"But Mr Costello has let the structural flaws in the housing market grow bigger and bigger, and has sometimes played a key role in making them worse.
"Our longest serving Treasurer clearly has no idea what to do this more serious of economic and social problems, other than leave it to a market which has already failed," Senator Bartlett concluded.
