Housing pressures weighing on government, poll shows

Cost of living is the dominant concern for voters, but one key area of pressure is sticking out far more than others.

Cost of living pressures are top of mind for Australians, but one key area is weighing on households far more than any other, a new poll shows.

A Newspoll conducted for The Australian showed housing was of greatest concern for voters, far outstripping food costs and utility bills.

It also showed Labor’s primary vote fell to 31 per cent for the first time since November last year following the failed voice referendum.

The poll comes after a rough week for the government’s legislative agenda in the upper house, with Coalition and crossbench senators stalling bills key to Labor’s plan to tackle soaring housing costs.

It’s been a tough week for Anthony Albanese Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Help to Buy Bill, which would let first-home buyers purchase a property under a shared equity scheme with the government, was delayed to November.

The government last week also failed to get its Build to Rent Bill to vote. It aims to incentivise the construction of rent-only developments through tax concessions.

With the Coalition firmly against both and yet to announce its own housing policy, Labor must look to the Greens, who have asked for action on rent freezes and caps, an end to tax concessions for property developers, and a government-owned property developer that would build homes to sell at just above the cost of construction.

The Newspoll showed support for the Coalition was steady at 38 per cent.

But a lift in support for the Greens and others on the crossbench has kept Labor and the Coalition neck and neck at 50/50 on a two-party preferred basis for a third Newspoll in a row.

More to come