Off the back of big swings to the Greens in local council elections, the Greens have launched a new phase in their push to win the seat of Richmond, with 20 years of the same Labor MP having left Richmond-Tweed with the in the country.
With rents in the region having soared (), house prices telling a similar story () and many locals unable to find a secure, long-term place to live, Labor and Justine Elliot’s schemes to address the housing and rental crisis in Richmond Tweed are pitiful, ‘guaranteeing’ only 26 new social homes in the electorate over the next decade and an estimated 6 people set to take up their weak ‘Help to Buy’ scheme, which will drive up prices for everyone else and is currently subject to negotiation in the Senate.
This week in parliament, the Greens successfully stopped Labor’s attempt to bulldoze its weak ‘Help to Buy’ Bill through the Senate and secured a further two month negotiation period, during which time the Greens will build pressure on Labor MP Justine Elliot and Labor to deliver.
The new phase of the Greens’ campaign in Richmond will involve print advertising, doorknocking, online advertising and social media, and will be aimed at pressuring Labor to meet the Greens’ three negotiation demands that would deliver for Richmond: freezing and capping rent increases; winding back tax breaks for wealthy property investors that are denying renters the chance to buy a home; and building more public housing, starting with the Richmond area.
In recent council elections, the Greens saw swings of up to 20%, outperforming Labor in the Byron and Ballina LGAs. The seat of Richmond is one of the closest seats in the country: it almost went to the Greens at the last election, and if less than 1.8% of people change their vote this time then the Greens’ Mandy Nolan will win.
As the electorate with the most unaffordable housing in the country, the Northern Rivers community is desperate for federal housing policy that would end the housing crisis. There were 16,786 renting households in Richmond as of Census night in 2021.
As put by Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP:
“After 20 years of the same Labor MP, the Northern Rivers has the most unaffordable housing in the country.
“Voting for Labor in Richmond means more of the same, which means the housing crisis keeps getting worse.
“There’s almost 17,000 households renting in Richmond and 1 in 6 people in mortgage stress, but all Justine Elliot and Labor have to offer is 26 new homes some time after the next election, and maybe 6 people get a bit of backing to get a massive mortgage. It’s a sick joke.
“The Greens are fighting for a cap and freeze on rent increases, long term leases, winding back tax breaks for wealthy property investors and building more public housing, starting with a big build here in Richmond.
“We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result.
“For 20 years Labor has taken Richmond for granted and left it the most unaffordable place for housing in Australia. If less than 2% of people in Richmond switch their vote to the Greens, Mandy Nolan can win.”
As put by Mandy Nolan, Greens candidate for Richmond:
“Labor’s had their chance, but after 20 years of the same Labor MP we’ve got the most unaffordable housing in the country.
“Fixing the housing crisis isn’t something that can happen overnight, but the first step is voting for someone who will fight for you.
“It’s clear that the $176 billion in tax handouts to property investors are making it easier to buy your 7th, 8th or 25th property than it is to buy your first home. It’s also clear that renters are getting a raw deal in Richmond when we’ve got teachers and health workers renting sheds and living in cars.
“Labor’s policies will make the housing crisis in Richmond worse – someone’s got to speak up and say enough’s enough, and that’s what the Greens did this week.”
