Labor promises housing relief for home buyers in its election platform

Australia's Labor Party has promised to work with state and local government to cut red tape for home buyers, reducing delays in the real estate development application process, if it wins the upcoming federal election.
Australia's hopeful "Government in waiting" says industry bodies like the NSW Urban Taskforce has found that delays cost up to $4 billion a year alone in the state, and in some local council areas development applications are taking at least 12 months.
Holding costs and delays can add up to 15 per cent to a project's overall cost, it says.
“These delays add unnecessary cost burdens to the home buyers and this is significant to first time home buyers on limited budgets,” Labor leader Kevin Rudd said in a joint statement with treasury spokesman Wayne Swan and housing spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek.
Labor's national housing affordability summit on July 26 will consider how to roll out a national online real estate land development application tracking website that would be uniform across all states, territories and local government planning departments.
“This would allow all home buyers, including first time home buyers to check the status of their approval at any time of the day,” Mr Rudd said.
“It would also save local councils time and money. A similar scheme known as the Application Tracking Online Service is already operating in northern Sydney at Pittwater Council.”
Labor says the process of complying minor housing projects – such as extensions – also needs streamlining in local government councils.
Source: AAP