Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

It's no surprise to me that Mayo continues to attract a growing number of new residents to live in our beautiful hills and coastal regions. Between 2016 and 2021, our community of Mayo collectively absorbed an extra 33,368 people—more than 10,000 families. During this time, median weekly rental payments in Mayo have increased by far more than people's wages. Medium weekly rental costs now represent close to half of a weekly income—more than half once utilities are considered. The Domain Rental Report in March this year indicated that Mount Barker residents experienced a 25 per cent increase over that time. Even more worryingly, down at Victor Harbour and on the south coast, there was a 62.5 per cent increase over that period. This is in part because we have such an influx of people coming in, and it is also a holiday community. When I look at the fact that there are so many older Australians in my community on the age pension and renting, it is deeply worrying. What this means for my constituents is that affordable properties, particularly for those on a low fixed income, are very few and far between. Like the member for Indi, I am now seeing rough sleeping, couch surfing and people camping in car parks in tents. This never happened in Mayo, but it's happening now.

Mayo is not alone. A recent briefing from the community housing and homelessness sector provided an insight into new Impact Economics analysis exploring the role of housing in critical skills shortages across the regions. In short, there is no surprise that no housing means no worker mobility. In each area examined the Housing critical report, rental costs are up by high margins, severe housing stress is up, job vacancies have climbed and rental vacancies have plummeted. The report found that on the Fleurieu Peninsula rents are, on average, up 48 per cent since March 2020. Job vacancies are off the chart, with an estimated cost of more than $200 million each year to that region alone.

In the context of the jobs summit, we need to keep front of mind the enormous pressures on regional Australia's housing, insufficient supply and exorbitant prices. I warned during the last parliament of an impending tsunami of homelessness due to poor access to affordable housing. At the time I requested the three tiers of government work together to establish a national strategy to increase housing supply and improve affordability. I therefore welcomed the government's commitment to develop a new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement, and the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund for social and affordable housing, but I'm also in favour of a new, improved generation scheme, like NRAS. I will just say to the government: we've got thousands of properties still within NRAS that are yet to expire. Please look to extend those properties beyond their date because otherwise we're going to face a valley of death with respect to affordable housing stock that's currently there in the market, but will potentially be gone in a matter of years when NRAS finishes.

As the member for Indi points out, more is needed in the regions. Like Mayo, the member for Indi's electorate has also experienced significant population growth, and so has regional Australia. This growth puts great pressure on regional infrastructure, our water, our drainage and our power, with more users using our road and transport systems. There is increasing demand on housing, local health and community services, and more. The member's proposed $2 billion regional housing infrastructure fund would be used by regional councils to provide for critical infrastructure to strengthen these foundations for the building of new housing. I urge the government to consider this very, very carefully. We need to ensure that regional Australia is not left behind with respect to affordable housing as well as our needs for child care, community centres and other infrastructure. If we want decentralisation and if we want our regions to thrive, we need to invest in them. I urge the government to consider this motion by the member for Indi.

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