Many tenants face changing living arrangements or delaying the dream of home ownership due to high costs. For Bahrij, buying his first home no longer feels possible.

“It feels like an insult because accessing your super immediately ruins my future,” Bahrij said when asked whether it’s an option he’d pursue.

Research by the Super Members Council predicts median house prices would rise $92,500 on average across the capital cities if home-buyers could access more of their super. Source: SBS News

The University of South Australia analysis, commissioned by the Super Members Council, predicts median prices would rise $92,500 on average across the capital cities, adding the equivalent of $260 a fortnight to mortgages.

“We’ve announced a $5 billion plan … which will create 500,000 new homes,” referring to funding for infrastructure such as water, power and access to roads to speed up construction.

Housing key to Greens electoral success

He argues that even modest changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax would result in more first home owners instead of property developers entering the market and is calling for a government-owned developer to address the supply shortage.

Max Chandler-Mather said the housing issue continues to be a key frustration with voters in his electorate of Griffith. Source: SBS News / Thomas Druitt

“Setting up a government-owned developer and building 610,000 good quality homes over the next 10 years that are then sold and rented to first home buyers and renters at capped prices that they can afford,” Chandler-Mather said.

“Because of the Greens political party posturing in parliament, they delayed for almost a year, the construction of homes that were sorely needed,” she told SBS News.

Labor’s housing build delay

The Build to Rent bill incentivises developers to build housing entirely for renting by offering tax concessions and commits at least 10 per cent of the dwellings to affordable housing.

Housing Minister Clare O’Neil remains adamant that the government plans to “build, build, build”.