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I hope this is the first of a wave of policy declaring access to stable housing a human right. It's practically impossible to avoid poverty and instability with
by KittenInABox 2y ago
I hope this is the first of a wave of policy declaring access to stable housing a human right. It's practically impossible to avoid poverty and instability without this. Need an address to open bank accounts, get employment checks, receive medication delivery (useful for people with disabilities), and just to store your personal belongings safely.
- chii 2y agoshelter can be considered a right, but a lot of australians imply ownership when they want housing declared a human right.
- defrost 2y agoOwnership | affordability are currently linked to a degree; I meet a lot of Australians in the 20 to 35 year range who want even a one or two bedroom apartment to base themselves about that's stable and reliable in the sense of a rent or a morgage payment that can be relied upon for a decade or more. The big issues here are availability .. finding a place to rent or buy that's affordable can be a challenge, and dependability .. many rentals in recent years have been ripped out from under tennents and|or prices increased.
- robertlagrant 2y agoAll of this is related to demand vs supply. Too many people entering (population growth and net immigration) vs the rate of housing build.
- em500 2y agoA policy declaring some abstract right going to do very little. Most people can agree that more housing development is necessarily and desirable, in an abstract sense, or even on a national level. But when it comes to any specific location it's usually "but not in this neighborhood". Since this happens pretty much near every place that is at somewhat desirable to live (usually in/near large cities in developed countries) and consequently already have many people living there and we get the current outcome. This is the same story all across cities in Europe, Northern America and developed Asia/Oceania nowadays.
- rwmj 2y agoI've never been to Australia but I was under the impression it's an enormous country (compared to its population) and mostly empty. It seems odd that NIMBYism would be an issue.
- defrost 2y agoIt's not a room to build crisis, it's an actual shortage of housing ... That aside, Australia's vast spaces are largely "brown" on Google Maps from lack of water and limited vegetation, the European descent and overseas born (25% of current Australian citizens) mostly cling to the fringes of the land, earning the sobriquet Fringe Dwellers from Australian poet & playwright Jack Davis, AM, BEM.
- em500 2y agoThat's like saying that NIMBYism is odd in the US because there's tons of empty land in Wyoming. People want to live in or near Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth, not in the Outback.
- rwmj 2y agoBut Sydney &c were once empty pieces of land. There seems to be space to start new towns and cities.
- averageRoyalty 2y agoIt may not be obvious but (like in most countries) people in Australia mostly live near cities with jobs, infrastructure, etc. Various satellite cities (Geelong, Wollongong) have built up via incentive schemes, but most people don't want to live that far from their friends and families, let alone in the red desert.