Housing crisis needs creative ideas and commonsense policy

Housing crisis needs creative ideas and commonsense policy

Increasing housing supply is imperative to solving the housing crisis (“Scramble for key to unlock housing”, 16/08). However, regardless of how successful any supply strategy from the federal government may be, short-term strategies are also desperately needed.

After all, while much of the ­nation is in the grip of a housing emergency, we can’t – in a mad rush – compromise housing construction standards and safety.

One strategy that governments should seriously consider implementing is devoting some land that is not prone to bushfires to be developed into powered camping sites where people can live in tents – tents large enough to stand up and walk around in – and have some basic furniture.

People can’t go to work properly if they are living in their cars. The housing emergency is not just a severe social crisis, it is also an economic crisis for businesses needing effective staff.

Michael Westacott, Cairns, Qld

The first headline that I read this morning tells me that the ­national cabinet meets to discuss the housing crisis.

Perhaps governments are making Australians homeless through their transport departments compulsorily acquiring homes and businesses to spend their last-minute-election-promise funds on grand projects that were announced without detail and used as bait, as I experience it, to create jobs.

These people require another home, rental or site. One of these people was nearly me, and those around me, recently.

Why do people vote to become homeless?

Claudia Tregoning, South Plympton, SA

I have read with great interest the stories of how some underused church properties are being considered for redevelopment into low-income and social housing. Any visitor to Sydney’s CBD must notice the amount of homelessness on our streets.

I await with interest any news of the opening up of the land holdings of the wealthy private schools – many allegedly founded on a deep commitment to Christian principles – to similar speculation. And for those whose gospel does not include charity and a care for the least of us, then I would remind readers that the government has powers to compel the acquisition of land for “state purposes”.

If housing the poor and homeless is not a state purpose, I do not know what would be. If these fallow fields cannot be acquired for high-rise community housing, then the least that these schools might do, as a compromise, would be to build their own high-rise staff accommodation within their school grounds’ walls, and to then relinquish the local government rates and concessional staff housing they currently own to private and rate-paying ownership.

Garry Dalrymple, Earlwood, NSW

I welcome PM Albanese’s plan to tackle our national housing crisis by seriously increasing supply. That’s a great starting point but unless his government reforms one-sided concessions, including negative gearing and capital gains tax that strongly favour property investors over genuine home buyers, then the relentlessly escalating prices will result in housing being well beyond the reach of low-income earners – and most middle-­income earners as well.

Kevin Burke, Sandringham, Vic

Aged care at home

Rather than simply increasing staffing hours and numbers within aged-care facilities, we could learn from studies in Europe and the US that highlight the benefits of regular nurse visits – weekly or fortnightly – for vulnerable elderly individuals living in their own homes (“Round-the-clock aged care progress stalls”, 16/8).

Research has shown that home-visit interventions have successfully lowered the frequency of hospital admissions among older adults, while also improving their physical and ­psychosocial wellbeing.

These interventions have also proven to be effective in reducing the occurrence of falls without negatively impacting overall quality of life.

Consequently, there is potential for reducing the occupancy of aged-care facility beds by elderly residents, which could be a promising approach to achieving more efficient economic outcomes.

John Kempler, Rose Bay, NSW

Unleash our pioneers

Paul Kelly writes an excellent column in today’s paper (“New protectionist push risks the nostalgia of the past”, 16/8). But having been the creator and chairman of the Export Council of Australia and running the Australian Export Heroes awards, I would like to add an important dimension.

People, clever people with ideas, people like Bob Clifford who created INCAT in Tasmania and Peter Freedman whose business, RODE microphones, is world’s best practice, are the people the government needs to embrace. They know the challenges of financing travelling to far-flung parts of the world. I’ve known their stories and they are inspirational.

Yes, the bureaucracy plays a role but in the end it’s the R&D and the sheer courage of these people who make the difference.

Ian C Murray, Cremorne Point, NSW