Joint Statement - Labor's big housing build is a big con

Joint Statement – Labor’s big housing build is a big con

Bridget Vallence, Shadow Minister for Skills and Training

James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Planning

21 December 2023.

The Allan Government’s promise to build 800,000 homes over the next 10 years while continuing their so-called ‘Big Build’ has been further exposed as a con by several industry experts.

Both the Grattan Institute and Builders Collective of Australia have called Labor out as not being able to meet their housing targets at the same time as delivering costly major projects including the $200 billion Suburban Rail Loop.

Furthermore, the Housing Industry Association, Infrastructure Australia, the Property Council, and the Urban Development Institute, have all warned about the impact that the major infrastructure projects are having on skills and workforce capacity.

Shadow Minister for Skills and Training, Bridget Vallence, said: “Under Labor, Victoria is in a skills crisis, with a shortage of over 34,000 construction workers according to State Government figures. This makes the Allan Government’s promise to build 80,000 new homes each year hollow, given the massive construction workforce shortage in Victoria.

“Big Build projects are already $38 billion over budget and years behind schedule, and have drained the residential construction sector of its workforce, pushing up the cost of housing and casting doubt over Labor’s ability to fulfill its housing promise.”

Shadow Minister for Planning, James Newbury, said: “Labor keeps repeating their housing target promise, despite it being a great big con. Now industry has sounded the alarm, calling out Labor’s con. Labor’s housing promise is a great big con job.”

“Labor’s promise would require 80,000 homes to be built each year, yet recent figures prove the build is tens of thousands short. Labor should be ashamed of developing a weak plan, that delivers false hope, to thousands of Victorians aspiring to own their own home.”

James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Planning

Bridget Vallence, Shadow Minister for Skills and Training