Housing affordability puts pressure on low income earners

The Howard Government's Budget cash splurge had failed to address key issues facing low income earners such as housing affordability, advocacy groups claimed yesterday.
With new figures released yesterday showing the Australian house price index rose 1.1 per cent in the March quarter, the Australian Council of Social Services said the Federal Government's priorities were wrong.
ACOSS executive director Andrew Johnson said the Government should have funded a range of initiatives to tackle the issue, rather than focussing on tax cuts.
"Rather than cutting taxes, we were looking for the Government to invest more in making housing more affordable,'' Mr Johnson said.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that in the March quarter, house prices rose in every capital city except for Sydney.
In Brisbane, house prices rose by 2.9 per cent.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence claimed that the climate change measures announced in the Budget did nothing for low income earners, the group executive director Tony Nicholson said were the most vulnerable to the impact.
"The solar rebate will only assist homeowners who can pay $14,000 or more upfront for solar panels, making them eligible for the $8000 rebate,'' Mr Nicholson said.
"Renters and home owners on low incomes are left out.''
Source: Courier Mail