Greens plot govt home builder rebirth – Libs plan more cops on beat
A multibillion-dollar spend to re-establish the SA Housing Trust as a publicly owned builder and fix a maintenance backlog that has “skyrocketed out of control”, top the SA Greens newest policy launch. While the Liberals target gaps in police frontline.
The South Australian Greens would push to build 20,000 public homes over the next four years, clear out a public housing maintenance backlog, and introduce a new Commissioner to protect tenant rights, under new pre-election policy announced today.
SA Greens leader Robert Simms told InDaily the cost of the policy would be about $6.7 billion and that the “private market isn’t delivering the housing that we need”.
“Now really is the time for the government to step up and assume that responsibility,” Simms said.
“If you look at the state under Premier [Thomas] Playford, the SA Housing Trust was one of the biggest developers in the state and we’ve seen the long-term benefits that flowed from that.
“We’re in the middle of a housing emergency and so we need a crisis-level response.”
The plan involves the re-establishment of the SA Housing Trust as a publicly owned builder to construct new public homes and clear out a public housing maintenance backlog, rather than relying on private contractors to deliver the constructions and rectifications.
This would form the bulk of the $6.7 billion spend ($6.3 billion), with Simms hoping it would go some way in eliminating the public housing waitlist – which he said stands at more than 14,000 people currently.
It would have broader positive effects on the housing market, Simms hoped, as it would “significantly boost the supply” of homes.
“The housing waitlist just seems to be persistent,” Simms said.
“We haven’t been able to really make a dent in it over the last few years, and that’s really worrying.
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“Last year, I exposed through FOI that there had been over 100 South Australians that have died while they were on the wait list, and I think that’s devastating.”
He said there were “real problems” with the private sector not being able to remedy the public housing maintenance backlog, which in June 2022 was costed at about $310 million.
“The maintenance backlog has just skyrocketed out of control,” Simms said.
“The benefit of having a public builder is that they will be able to step in and do that work.
“We should have the capacity to do that locally, rather than waiting for the private sector to step up.”
The Greens would move to establish a Commissioner for Rental Tenancies too, with powers to investigate and penalise infringements on renters’ rights, based on a similar model in effect in Victoria.
Simms said he was “really proud” to work with the government on changes to the Residential Tenancies Act.
That piece of “huge reform” saw the removal of no cause evictions and a ban on rent bidding, as well as other changes.
But Simms said he’d heard feedback that “enforcement is proving a real challenge”.
“It’s one thing to change the law, the other thing is to actually make sure that new laws are being enforced,” Simms said.
“This can really serve as a cop on the beat that can ensure the current rules are applying as they should, and step in and potentially reprimand landlords that are doing the wrong thing.”
He also pitched long-term rent caps as part of his housing policy, which he said was just the first tranche of a larger policy piece around housing.
The Greens would introduce new laws to cap rent increases in line with CPI and restrict them to just once every two years.
“Prices are just skyrocketing out of control and there doesn’t appear to be any end in sight,” he said.
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“It’s devastating to see that Adelaide is becoming one of the least affordable places to be able to live and to be able to get a house. I just think that’s outrageous.
“For us in the Greens, housing is a key policy for us. We want this to be a key battleground for the state election.”
Simms said the state government’s removal of stamp duty for new homebuyers was “definitely worthwhile” but had concerns in line with his federal colleagues that the Albanese government’s five per cent deposit scheme.
“My federal colleagues have been quite critical of that, and have raised concerns that it could be inflating the cost of housing,” he said.
“Obviously that’s something that policymakers have got to be really careful about, that we don’t just inflate the costs through the policy levers that we apply.”
He said the estimated $6.7 billion policy was “significant”, but should be considered in the context of the budget.
“It’s a significant investment of course, but it’s one that I think should be fundamental for any government that is providing a roof over the head of its citizens,” he said.
Libs release new policing policy
Meanwhile, the SA Liberal party today announced its plan to recruit and retain frontline police officers, claiming the government had a shortfall of around 200 police officers over the past three years.
Its Police Attraction and Retention Plan would include a $20,000 recruitment bonus to attract interstate and international experienced police officers, a $20,000 incentive to bring police officers who have left the service in the last four years back into the force and up to $20,000 in assistance with university HELP debts for new recruits.
Other incentives include a retention bonus of up to $20,000 for long-serving officers and a $560,000 mental health support framework for SA Police.
“Our plan will deliver real and competitive recruitment and retention benefits to help grow our police force,” Opposition Leader Tarzia said.
“We know other states and territories already offer incentives to join the force which is making it harder for South Australia to recruit in a competitive market.
“This suite of policies will ensure that we can compete with those states and territories, while also stopping the haemorrhaging of police officers already in the force.”
The state government today announced it would this week begin consultation on “tough new laws” to create a new offence to stalk or harass a police office or a member of the officer’s family.
Under the draft Criminal Law Consolidation (Offences Against Public Officers) Amendment Bill 2025, the new offence would have a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
The draft legislation also seeks to create a specific aggravated offence to commit a violent or threatening crime against a police officer, knowing that person is a police officer.
“Seeking to threaten, harass or intimidate the people who keep us safe is a type of offending that is simply beyond the pale and will not be tolerated by this Government,” Police Minister Blair Boyer said.
“By toughening the penalties for people targeting South Australia police officers and their loved ones, we are ensuring the laws are in line with what the community would expect for such offending, and what our law enforcement officers deserve.”
