When Julia Gillard proclaimed her Government’s renewed focus on COAG reform earlier this year, many Australians hoped that improving the living conditions of Indigenous Australians would be near the top of the list. Alas, they were to be disappointed.
Joint statement:
Bare concrete floors in bathrooms and toilets in a Gillard Government‐refurbished Santa Teresa home fail every test of hygiene and raise serious concerns about value for money in Northern Territory communities.
Senator Marise Payne, Shadow Minister for Housing, has called on the Rudd-Gillard Government to back up its words with actions following a speech by Social Housing Minister Senator Mark Arbib which highlighted shortcomings in the social housing sector.
The significant fall in building approvals in January 2011 is another black mark on Labor’s economic record and the residential sector is under further threat with interest rates set to rise and a carbon tax on the way, said Senator Marise Payne, Shadow Minister for Housing.
Last night’s revelation in Senate Estimates that just 24,000 people have registered for Labor’s First Home Saver Accounts - despite the former housing minister boasting that 730,000 would be opened over four years – is another glaring example of Labor’s failure on housing affordability.
