Not a Crisis,But an Emergency.
In June 2024 the Government released ‘More Homes for South Australians A Housing Roadmap’ outlining the current housing crisis, the issues and proposed solutions. This report claims our current housing crisis is because of a sudden and sustained spike in housing demand. Stating that this demand comes from a range of factors, including economic growth, returning residence during the pandemic, and an increase in smaller households. Adding the housing supply has been affected by a shortage of serviced land, along with high interest rates and skills shortages. However, there is only slight concern about the impact of short-term rentals and vacant properties.
To get some other perspective on this situation I asked Jorden van der Lamb (aka: Purple Pingers) and Minister Nick Champion some questions. I did reach out to several other Politicians for their opinions but didn’t hear back from any of them.
Jorden van der Lamb believes that “the main cause of our housing crisis is capitalism in conjunction with settler colonialism... With these comes landlords and the private ownership of collective property.”
Jorden adds that “within a capitalist system, the main cause of any housing crisis comes down simply to housing being too expensive - in this country, this is because we have managed to commodify a human right”. Pointing out that, “successive Liberal Party Prime ministers have all expressed their desire for house prices to increase.” Labor Minister Clare O’Neil expressed the same opinion in an interview and the “Greens’ spokesperson for housing Max Chandler-Mather expressed that house prices shouldn’t decrease, but that they should instead ‘halt’.”
Jorden believes that “this is at least in part due to the fact that the ones who make the laws on housing are the ones benefiting from our housing crisis. 92% of Federal MPs are homeowners compared to 68% of the rest of the population” with each Federal MP owning approximately 2 properties.
“It is clear that the ruling class has no intention of solving our housing crisis because they are personally profiting from it.”
Minister Nick Champion believe that our past governments failed to plan for future growth in the population and did not adequately invest in the required infrastructure necessary to enable housing development.
Jorden said, “If we look to countries that have successfully escaped or avoided a housing crisis like ours, they all have one thing in common: public housing. Building shitloads of public housing that is accessible and good quality (to anyone who wants it, not only as a last resort) is the easiest way to solve a housing crisis. Because public housing is a non-market actor. By offering a “competitor” to the housing market that does not have to compete on profits, it reduces the price of housing overall. This is a pretty well-established fact in economic theory.”
Jorden added, “The fact of the matter is we’ve had countless parliamentary inquiries, Federally and across each State and Territory, with thousands of recommendations provided by experts on housing… but we’ve implemented none of them.”
Minister Champion spoke of the current actions of the Malinauskas and Labour Government. Stating that housing has been made a top priority and “since March 2022, the Labor Government is progressively delivering more than 63,000 potential new housing opportunities for South Australians.” Adding that “construction is already underway…. while for the first time in a generation, this Government is improving the quality and quantity of SA Housing Trust homes.”
Minister Champion also mentions that “the Malinauskas Labor Government… had abolished property value thresholds for both the stamp duty exemption and First Homeowner Grant.”
I believe the major cause of our current housing crisis is years and decades of bad decision-making by our government. Such as the sale of over 20,000 public housing units since 2018 and not replacing them. Pushing low-income households and the vulnerable into an unaffordable private rental market. Combine this with skyrocketing house prices, stagnant wages, and minimal government support, leaving those with modest incomes no longer able to afford to buy, forcing them to remain renting. Our government has consistently failed to build enough new housing or implement meaningful reforms to regulate the private rental market. Leaving renters vulnerable to dodgy landlords and exorbitant prices. The result? Rising rents and increased competition for housing.
It is no secret that Jorden (aka Purple Pingers) promotes and supports squatting during this housing crisis. He tells me that “Squatting is a collective action that challenges the power of the ruling class outside of the halls of power. It’s a way to organise, and at the end of the day, it’s a simple mathematical question with a simple mathematical answer. In Metropolitan Melbourne alone, we have approximately 100,000 empty homes with a population of approximately 30,000 people experiencing homelessness in the entire state. We have enough homes to house everyone, so we will. Adverse possession is a capitalist principle, and there is nothing that prevents us from using their principles against them.”
Minister Champion had a very different view stating that, “Squatting is illegal… and won’t be tolerated by this Government.” Adding that “It is dangerous and has significant detrimental impacts on the housing market.”
Minister Champion asserted that “There are often valid reasons why properties may appear empty…” And that the Government has invested “more than $80 million into homelessness services that it also supports ‘those on very low incomes to access other housing options.”
Jorden responded to Minister Champion’s statements saying “It’s interesting that the South Australian Labor Government is happy for homelessness in the state to increase but isn’t happy for those experiencing homelessness to live in empty homes. Their party of landlords would rather protect a rich person’s right to hoard and then leave a spare property empty for years during a housing crisis than put a roof over someone’s head.” Adding that “Squatting is only illegal if you stay after you’re asked to leave.” And the thing is most of these people don’t even know they have someone living in their empty house.
By Evangelia Karageorgos