New SA Greens bill would see portable homes built on vacant private land

SA’s property council has slammed a plan which would allow the state government to build temporary housing on vacant private land. Do you agree? Have your say.

Investors would be driven away from property if a proposed Greens plan which would allow temporary portable homes to be built on private vacant land, an industry leader has warned.

Under the bill set to be introduced to parliament next month, the state government would be able to place housing on vacant land “in circumstances where the owner is unwilling or unable to undertake development”.

The proposal will be introduced in a bid to ease South Australia’s rental crisis.

The land would be returned to the owner once a development application is approved.

But Property Council of SA’s executive director Daniel Gannon said the latest Greens proposal is another example of “interventionist policy that will harm our property and investment market”.

Property Council of Australia South Australia executive director Daniel Gannon. Picture: AAP Image / Sam Wundke

“If this sort of approach was given the green light, it would drive investors away from property as an asset class and place even more downward pressure on new housing supply,” he said.

“We need genuine policy solutions that aren’t all stick and no carrot, and ideas that don’t demonise and harm property owners and investors.”

Greens MLC Robert Simms said the state was in a full blown housing crisis.

“It is outrageous that we have residential and commercial land across our state being left vacant, with no plans for development when we have people sleeping on our streets, in tents, cars and caravans.

“We need urgent action from the state government, transportable housing could provide shelter to those South Australians who are sleeping rough and desperately need a roof over their head this winter.”

Greens MLC Robert Simms. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

The bill gives the government the ability to take out a statutory lease on the vacant land for public purposes, and no rent would be paid, but the owner would be reimbursed for expenses like levies and rates.

The Greens are also calling for the government to, make use of vacant residential and commercial public land.

“The South Road development is an example of wasted opportunity. Rather than leaving the land vacant for prolonged periods, the Government should investigate using parts the site for portable housing.”

It comes after the Greens’ introduced a rent control bill in parliament last month which restricts landlords from increasing rent prices.

On average, rent has increased from $350 a week to $420 a week in the last two years, he said.