loquasagacious
NCAP Mooderator
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2004
- Messages
- 3,636
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- HSC
- 2004
The Greens in the ACT have just called for more 'affordable housing', I would presume that, that means cheaper housing. They are concerned that there is not enough affordable housing in Canberra and propose legislatively forcing new developements to include affordable housing. Of particular concern to the Greens are areas like Manuka (closest Canberra has to Leichardt).
My starting point in exploring this issue is the question of what exactly affordable housing is?
Are the Greens proposing government owned housing commission houses? (I could find no answer to this in their statement) If not then what are they proposing?
Presumably more affordable is a euphemism for less expensive or more plainly cheaper. If this is the case then how is this to be achieved? Prices are determined in a free market therefore there are only three choices:
Government subsidies on renters or buyers (made possible by the GST taken from NSW???), these would only have the appearance of making housing more affordable as someone would ultimately be footing the bill.
The second option is that developers are compelled to build a proportion of poorer quality houses for whose price is less because of the poor comparison between them and the better houses in the same developement. To me this would seem highly counterproductive as it would ingrain inequalities and a division between rich and poor.
The third option would be to impose either a price cieling on the market. Were a price cieling impossed then the market would be inefficient in that fewer dwellings would be built than at equilibrium and far fewer than would be demanded. This could infact result in higher prices with dwellings being bought quickly and put on the rental market at market value.
Finally a cheap-shot: The ACT Greens Senator lives in a housing commission place in Yarralumlla paying 'market rent' of $270 for a house.
My starting point in exploring this issue is the question of what exactly affordable housing is?
Are the Greens proposing government owned housing commission houses? (I could find no answer to this in their statement) If not then what are they proposing?
Presumably more affordable is a euphemism for less expensive or more plainly cheaper. If this is the case then how is this to be achieved? Prices are determined in a free market therefore there are only three choices:
Government subsidies on renters or buyers (made possible by the GST taken from NSW???), these would only have the appearance of making housing more affordable as someone would ultimately be footing the bill.
The second option is that developers are compelled to build a proportion of poorer quality houses for whose price is less because of the poor comparison between them and the better houses in the same developement. To me this would seem highly counterproductive as it would ingrain inequalities and a division between rich and poor.
The third option would be to impose either a price cieling on the market. Were a price cieling impossed then the market would be inefficient in that fewer dwellings would be built than at equilibrium and far fewer than would be demanded. This could infact result in higher prices with dwellings being bought quickly and put on the rental market at market value.
Finally a cheap-shot: The ACT Greens Senator lives in a housing commission place in Yarralumlla paying 'market rent' of $270 for a house.