Latest news with #HomesforAustralia
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
The foster carer who is causing Greens grief
Adam Bandt is in serious danger of being swept up in Labor's landslide federal election win, with his seat of Melbourne still too close to call. The Greens leader was the first candidate from his party to be elected to the lower house and has held the electorate since 2010. Despite saying he was confident of retaining his seat, Mr Bandt fell behind his Labor challenger in the vote count on Tuesday. So who is Sarah Witty, the Labor candidate who could leave the Greens leaderless? Labor's Sarah Witty is posing a major threat to Greens leader Adam Bandt. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Witty is a foster carer, housing advocate and the chief executive of the Nappy Collective – a charity that supplies nappies to families in crisis. According to the Labor candidate, she has 'raised over $110m for social and affordable housing' through her work at Homes for Homes. Property owners who register their properties with Homes for Homes and sell them donate 0.1 per cent of the sale price to the social enterprise, which is in turn passed onto community housing providers. Her past places her well in line with the Albanese government's $32bn Homes for Australia plan to build 1.2 million new homes by 2030. A lifelong Melburnian, Ms Witty has spent the past 20 years living in the inner-city suburb of Richmond and ran for the Yarra City Council last year. She lost her bid for local politics to an independent. But she said she ran for federal politics because she had 'seen lots of disadvantage through my time in many different roles, and I really want to make sure that every person gets the best chance for the best life that they deserve'. Greens leader Adam Bandt has fallen behind his Labor challenger in the vote count. NewsWire / Ian Currie Credit: News Corp Australia 'I decided to have a go at politics because I saw some disadvantage in the world and decided that we can do more, and I wanted to do more to help,' Ms Witty said in a social media video ahead of the campaign. 'So I put my hand up for this election.' YouGov – the only research firm to correctly call the election – predicted a 4 per cent swing to Labor in Melbourne but tipped the Greens would hold onto the seat. At reporting, the swing was 10.9 per cent to Labor. Ms Witty would not be the only female Labor candidate to knock out a party leader or deal a major blow to the Greens. In Queensland, Ali France unseated Peter Dutton in the battle for Dickson, ousting him as opposition leader. Labor candidates Madonna Jarrett and Renee Coffey also won the seats of Brisbane and Griffith from the Greens after booting out Greens first-termers Stephen Bates and Max Chandler-Mather.
West Australian
06-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Who is Sarah Witty, the Labor candidate who could leave the Greens leaderless?
Adam Bandt is in serious danger of being swept up in Labor's landslide federal election win, with his seat of Melbourne still too close to call. The Greens leader was the first candidate from his party to be elected to the lower house and has held the electorate since 2010. Despite saying he was confident of retaining his seat, Mr Bandt fell behind his Labor challenger in the vote count on Tuesday. So who is Sarah Witty, the Labor candidate who could leave the Greens leaderless? Ms Witty is a foster carer, housing advocate and the chief executive of the Nappy Collective – a charity that supplies nappies to families in crisis. According to the Labor candidate, she has 'raised over $110m for social and affordable housing' through her work at Homes for Homes. Property owners who register their properties with Homes for Homes and sell them donate 0.1 per cent of the sale price to the social enterprise, which is in turn passed onto community housing providers. Her past places her well in line with the Albanese government's $32bn Homes for Australia plan to build 1.2 million new homes by 2030. A lifelong Melburnian, Ms Witty has spent the past 20 years living in the inner-city suburb of Richmond and ran for the Yarra City Council last year. She lost her bid for local politics to an independent. But she said she ran for federal politics because she had 'seen lots of disadvantage through my time in many different roles, and I really want to make sure that every person gets the best chance for the best life that they deserve'. 'I decided to have a go at politics because I saw some disadvantage in the world and decided that we can do more, and I wanted to do more to help,' Ms Witty said in a social media video ahead of the campaign. 'So I put my hand up for this election.' YouGov – the only research firm to correctly call the election – predicted a 4 per cent swing to Labor in Melbourne but tipped the Greens would hold onto the seat. At reporting, the swing was 10.9 per cent to Labor. Ms Witty would not be the only female Labor candidate to knock out a party leader or deal a major blow to the Greens. In Queensland, Ali France unseated Peter Dutton in the battle for Dickson, ousting him as opposition leader. Labor candidates Madonna Jarrett and Renee Coffey also won the seats of Brisbane and Griffith from the Greens after booting out Greens first-termers Stephen Bates and Max Chandler-Mather.
News.com.au
06-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Who is Sarah Witty, the Labor candidate who could leave the Greens leaderless?
Adam Bandt is in serious danger of being swept up in Labor's landslide federal election win, with his seat of Melbourne still too close to call. The Greens leader was the first candidate from his party to be elected to the lower house and has held the electorate since 2010. Despite saying he was confident of retaining his seat, Mr Bandt fell behind his Labor challenger in the vote count on Tuesday. So who is Sarah Witty, the Labor candidate who could leave the Greens leaderless? Ms Witty is a foster carer, housing advocate and the chief executive of the Nappy Collective – a charity that supplies nappies to families in crisis. According to the Labor candidate, she has 'raised over $110m for social and affordable housing' through her work at Homes for Homes. Property owners who register their properties with Homes for Homes and sell them donate 0.1 per cent of the sale price to the social enterprise, which is in turn passed onto community housing providers. Her past places her well in line with the Albanese government's $32bn Homes for Australia plan to build 1.2 million new homes by 2030. A lifelong Melburnian, Ms Witty has spent the past 20 years living in the inner-city suburb of Richmond and ran for the Yarra City Council last year. She lost her bid for local politics to an independent. But she said she ran for federal politics because she had 'seen lots of disadvantage through my time in many different roles, and I really want to make sure that every person gets the best chance for the best life that they deserve'. 'I decided to have a go at politics because I saw some disadvantage in the world and decided that we can do more, and I wanted to do more to help,' Ms Witty said in a social media video ahead of the campaign. 'So I put my hand up for this election.' YouGov – the only research firm to correctly call the election – predicted a 4 per cent swing to Labor in Melbourne but tipped the Greens would hold onto the seat. At reporting, the swing was 10.9 per cent to Labor. Ms Witty would not be the only female Labor candidate to knock out a party leader or deal a major blow to the Greens. In Queensland, Ali France unseated Peter Dutton in the battle for Dickson, ousting him as opposition leader. Labor candidates Madonna Jarrett and Renee Coffey also won the seats of Brisbane and Griffith from the Greens after booting out Greens first-termers Stephen Bates and Max Chandler-Mather.
News.com.au
04-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Homes to become much easier to buy
Labor's five percent deposit scheme is set to shift the housing market significantly, with young Australians keen to see the plan come to fruition, but economists worried the plan will only cause house prices to soar. After securing a convincing majority election win on Saturday, Labor must now push forward full steam ahead with the contentious housing plan or be damned to break a signature promise of the campaign. The timeline of the scheme has economists worried – with the party also yet to outline exactly where the money will come from. Labor's $43 billion Homes for Australia Plan included the building of 100,000 new houses which would be set aside for first homeowners, who will only need a five per cent deposit instead of the usual twenty. The plan also included increased rental assistance and the construction of more social housing dwellings. However, the five per cent scheme is set to be introduced in January 2026, while the 100,000 homes will be move-in-ready 'from 2027-28' according to the party. Even without potential construction delays, the gap has economists fearing the market will simply ignite over the next few years, with the median $820,000 home suddenly only needing a $41,000 deposit. The last time $41,000 could be used as a deposit for the median Aussie home was 2002, the party proudly claims. So how will it work? Under the scheme, 15 per cent of the property's value would be guaranteed by the Albanese Government. It means that with a five per cent deposit, first home buyers would be able to avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which costs about $23,000 on average. There will be no income caps – or caps on home value. The party said that it will take 'further consultation with industry', however, plan to have the scheme in effect from January 1, 2026. Independent economist Saul Eslake said the scheme will inflate the property market. 'Anything that allows people to pay less for a mortgage, which this policy will do, will result in people borrowing more money and that will in turn result in pushing prices up,' Mr Eslake said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was questioned about the concerns from economists during the second election debate with the ABC. Mr Albanese said the government needed to boost 'both' demand and supply. 'We need to give people a fair crack, particularly young people. But we have a comprehensive $43 billion Homes for Australia plan, making sure, whether it's about increased social housing, increased private rentals or increased home ownership as well, through our Help to Buy scheme, that will all assist,' he said. 'The key, of course, is supply. And that's why only Labor is offering a plan at this election to increase supply of housing.' How many homes have already been built? There's been a lot of numbers thrown back and forth about how many homes are currently being built in line with Labor's 2027 move-in date. Last week, Education Minister Jason Clare and Labor's campaign co-spokesperson told ABC Radio about 2000 had already been built. 'There's about 28,000 that are under construction now,' he said. 'We finally got this legislation through the parliament and it's going to build the sort of homes that Australians need'.
News.com.au
29-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Federal election 2025: What Labor, Coalition are offering on housing
Underpinning this cost-of-living-centric election is the issue of housing. The states and territories have a big responsibility to play, but the federal government has more money at its disposal and the major, overarching levers to pull. In the latest federal budget, Labor beefed up its shared equity scheme, taking the program to $6.3bn over the next 15 years. The government will pay for and take a stake in a first homebuyer's house. The Labor government has also set an 'ambitious national target' to build 1.2 million new homes over the next five years, including 55,000 social and affordable properties, all at a cost of $21bn. This figure includes $4.5bn to the states and territories to unclog planning and infrastructure backlogs. The latest estimates forecast the country will fall 400,000 homes short of Labor's 1.2 million home target. If the Coalition is elected, they say their plans for big cuts to immigration will fit hand in glove with measures to reduce power bills, and allowing people to pull from their superannuation, to help more people buy themselves a house. What the major parties agree on: Foreign buyer ban: Both Labor and the Coalition will ban foreign investors and temporary residents from buying existing homes for two years. The policy does not stop this cohort investing in newly built homes. No changes to negative gearing: Both major parties have ruled out changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax. Negative gearing allows an investor to offset income from an investment property against any losses from maintaining it, giving them a potential tax deduction. Capital gains tax is a 50 per cent concession on any profit made from the sale of assets, including a house, after owning it for at least 12 months. Labor: New home builds: Labor will expand its Homes for Australia plan to build an extra 100,000 homes specifically for first-time buyers. The party has also vowed $54 million to boost construction of prefabricated and modular homes. Help to Buy: The government committed another $800m in the 2025 federal budget to lift property price and income caps on its Help to Buy scheme, which contributes equity of up to 40 per cent to support eligible homebuyers. Home Guarantee Scheme: All first homebuyers to be eligible for 5 per cent deposits, without needing to pay mortgage insurance. Tradies: In a bid to boost supply, the government is offering construction apprentices a $10,000 cash bonus, while employers of various key trades can get $5000 under the Priority Hiring Incentive. Tradies can also get means-tested concessional loans to help with living expenses, learning a trade and doing an apprenticeship. Infrastructure boost: Labor has committed $1.5 billion to fast-track roads, sewage and water connections, aimed to speed up construction of new housing. Rental investment: Investors will receive tax breaks as part of the build-to-rent program, which is estimated to deliver an extra 80,000 units over the next 10 years. Coalition Superannuation for housing: A Coalition government would allow first homebuyers to take 40 per cent of their superannuation, up to $50,000, for a home deposit. When the home is sold, the money would be repaid into superannuation. Mortgage tax break: The Coalition will allow first homebuyers of new properties to claim the interest paid on the first $650,000 of a mortgage as a tax deduction, which is expected to cost $1.2 billion over four years. Home Guarantee Scheme: The Coalition has also vowed to maintain the Home Guarantee Scheme program, which includes a 5 per cent deposit program for first homebuyers, and a 2 per cent deposit scheme for single parents or eligible single legal guardians with at least one dependent. Income testing will be increased to $175,000 for single and $250,000 for joint applicants – an increase of $50,000 on the current caps. Infrastructure boost: A $5 billion fund would help speed up development of new homes, fast tracking necessary infrastructure like roads, sewage and water. Population: The Coalition would slash immigration numbers, which it says are a major contributor to the housing crisis. A Liberal National government would reduce permanent migration from 185,000 to 140,000 for two years, and then 150,000 in year three and 160,000 in year four). The refugee and humanitarian program intake would be cut from 20,000 to 13,750. Backlog: Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to clear the backlog of housing projects waiting for environmental approvals, estimated to be more than 100, within his first 12 months if elected. Lending rules: The Coalition has pledged to work with financial regulators to change lending rules to help young Australians access a mortgage, including reducing the serviceability buffer, which the party says is overly cautious. Apprentice boost: A new national network of Australian Technical Colleges would be created, which would fast-track students to high-skilled and well-paying jobs in fields like housing and civil construction. The Coalition would also provide $12,000 to small and medium businesses to help them hire a new trainee or apprentice, with a focus on building and construction.
