Greens candidate for Cairns Josh Holt pinning 2024 campaign on housing, grocery policies
An arts adiminstration worker whose seen “so many” of his peers struggle through the rental crisis will contest the seat of Cairns, testing the Greens’ housing policies. Learn more about his ideas.
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Housing is set to be the focal point of the campaign for the Greens’ Cairns candidate, an arts administration worker whose seen first-hand so many of his peers in the Far North “struggle with the rental crisis and rising cost of living”.
Edge Hill resident Josh Holt, 39, will contest the seat held by Labor’s Michael Healy by testing the minority party’s plans to establish a public developer and freeze rents.
“The current government’s change to limit rent increases to once per year will not slow down rent rises, all it is doing is change the timing of the increase,” Mr Holt said.
The Greens’ flagship housing policies included freezing rents for two years followed by a one per cent cap on annual increases, measures to guarantee lease renewals, and establishing a public property developer to buy land and fund the construction of 100,000 homes over six years.
Mr Holt said that meant supporting the development of high-density, high rise complexes in Cairns City, and a mixture of low and medium-rise buildings in the outer suburbs to construct dwellings “within the tree lines” suitable for the tropics.
With a background in the navy, education, hospitality and volunteering around Cairns including environmental groups, Mr Holt said he never thought of himself as being interested in politics.
“I think it gives me a lot of good experience as a worker in different industries,” he said.
“Knowing what it’s like to navigate the rental market or kind of low wage jobs, know what it’s like to just have to get through life and figure out how you’re going to make a living while working on yourself and growing and helping the community around you as well.”
On joining a minor party, Mr Holt said “people were losing faith in a political system that favours two major parties” and that he hoped to “provide Cairns with another option.”
At the 2020 Queensland election the Greens drew 9.8 per cent of the primary vote in Cairns.
Mr Holt said he would also be campaigning for cost-of-living relief by way of identifying and then capping 30 essential items at Coles and Woolworths and introducing free sports for school kids.
He the Greens’ vision on tackling youth crime was focused on addressing poverty, homelessness and preventive measures.
“More secure housing, more community programs and initiatives to give people more of a sense of strong community so people don’t feel the need to go out and steal cars or break into someone’s house, because they’ve got a strong sense of their community around them they want to protect and be involved with that.”
Mr Holt said he expected candidates for the Greens in neighbouring Far North electorates to be announced “soon”.
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Originally published as Greens candidate for Cairns Josh Holt pinning 2024 campaign on housing, grocery policies
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