Comments on: Boost for Housing Supply: HIA chief http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/15/boost-for-housing-supply-hia-chief/ now with extra source Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:39 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Dez Hoy http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/15/boost-for-housing-supply-hia-chief/#comment-15184 Dez Hoy Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-15184 I fear the government's policies to to address housing affordability are designed more to polish its (read Kevin's) halo, and less to do anything substantive to bring about real change. When housing becomes an "industry", geared towards profit, there will inevitably be winners and losers. The losers are always the poor. The government have their heads up their own arses if they really believe these policies will work, particularly over the long term. Encouraging people to save for a home deposit will only benefit those who can afford to save something over and above what they fork out for rent. Directing public money to encourage investors to invest in rental accommodation means some people will own more than one home, while others own none. For all the public and private investment in housing over the last, say, 15 years of the housing "boom", how many bedrooms are routinely unoccupied in 6 bedroom McMansions housing 2 or 3 people? Is this waste set to continue? I fear the government’s policies to to address housing affordability are designed more to polish its (read Kevin’s) halo, and less to do anything substantive to bring about real change. When housing becomes an “industry”, geared towards profit, there will inevitably be winners and losers. The losers are always the poor. The government have their heads up their own arses if they really believe these policies will work, particularly over the long term. Encouraging people to save for a home deposit will only benefit those who can afford to save something over and above what they fork out for rent. Directing public money to encourage investors to invest in rental accommodation means some people will own more than one home, while others own none. For all the public and private investment in housing over the last, say, 15 years of the housing “boom”, how many bedrooms are routinely unoccupied in 6 bedroom McMansions housing 2 or 3 people? Is this waste set to continue?

]]> By: Disgruntled HIA employee http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/15/boost-for-housing-supply-hia-chief/#comment-15185 Disgruntled HIA employee Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-15185 This is just proof of the repositioning of HIA before the election - once the darling "industry union" of the Liberal Party, the HIA sniffed the winds of change and jumped on the Labor bandwagon - handing Labor the policies they had created for the Liberal Party, in exactly the same form (from the Housing Affordability Forum all the way to the First Home Owners Loan scheme). With their buddies the Australian Industry Group, the HIA are now stooges for the Labor party - or whoever looks likely to be in parliament next time... Congratulations for you chameleon act HIA - I know it hurt your Liberal Preselection seeking Senior Executive to change colours (btw - how did ex HIA President, the Liberal candidate Bob Day go in Makin - ooh that must hurt), but you managed to do it overnight, without losing any sleep... This is just proof of the repositioning of HIA before the election - once the darling “industry union” of the Liberal Party, the HIA sniffed the winds of change and jumped on the Labor bandwagon - handing Labor the policies they had created for the Liberal Party, in exactly the same form (from the Housing Affordability Forum all the way to the First Home Owners Loan scheme).

With their buddies the Australian Industry Group, the HIA are now stooges for the Labor party - or whoever looks likely to be in parliament next time…

Congratulations for you chameleon act HIA - I know it hurt your Liberal Preselection seeking Senior Executive to change colours (btw - how did ex HIA President, the Liberal candidate Bob Day go in Makin - ooh that must hurt), but you managed to do it overnight, without losing any sleep…

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