Yes David, housing is one of the most crucial issues facing Australia.

For now, however, weak political leadership seems to be abandoning the growing minority facing much higher housing costs.

Rent assistance is too crude a device to work, for those it's intended to assist.
Increasing rent assistance will benefit landlords who will immediately jack-up rents to correspond accordingly. That's business!

Government guarantees for bank mortgages which assist underprivileged groups to join the housing market has long term benifits for society; negating the need for public housing and other useless quasi schemes such as rent assistance, which ultimatly, through the back door, benifits landlords.

Dan

Dan, so public housing is useless.

Can you explain examples of an alternative that works please.

I would ague that any housing scheme that involves government assistance is an example of public housing policy, so I am interested in any effective option.

Why is it that these bleeding hearts assume JobSeeker allowance is meant to be welfare for life. It is meant to be a short term form of assistance, while the recipient seriously looks for a job.

All too many of those you'll see surfing off Byron Bay or the Gold Coast beaches on weekdays are recipients of JobSeeker allowance, & increasing the payment would find considerably more paying lip service to looking for work. There are a large number of these around here, who with a day or 2 of cash in hand work, live very well, at honest workers expense.

i don't see doubling rent assistance as a viable long term answer.

as for welfare, i am also alarmed that some in my area may be getting the job keeper allowance and working elsewhere.

There has to be limits about how much money can be given away.

MORE RENT ASSISTANCE= HIGHER AND HIGHER RENTS! FACT OF (GREED IS GOOD) LIFE!

We can make a case for more charity and indeed, a huge increase in social housing via a huge increase in the deficit!

But none whatsoever for negative gearing and tax returns to shareholders who haven't paid tax!

Ditto subsidised super for those with the deepest pockets!

Absolutely all welfare during this time has to be reserved for the needy only, not the greedy, entitled, rich! Family trusts,etc/etc! And other similar, taxpayer-funded, rorts!?

It's already enough that we saddle future as yet unborn generations with a monumental, monolithic debt burden! Without adding to it to pad the large bank balances of the robber baron class!

And I know you know who I mean!

If we are to borrow from the future!? Then let us invest it in a far better future than the past we had for ourselves!
Rapid rail, and far, far cheaper power and carbon-free to boot! (can't died in a cornfield over a century ago)

And in so doing, create jobs and income opportunities for those willing to get in have a go and earn their money, via personal endeavour. not parasitical Ponzi schemes and their ilk! And let the rollout of vast public housing put downward pressure on house prices and rent! Future generations will thank us!

And let those that want to own houses pay for them with their own money, not that screwed from the, as yet unborn, taxpayers!
Alan B.