Economists panned Mr Dutton’s housing platform, which would have allowed first homebuyers tap into their super, secure easier loans, and enjoy tax deductions on their mortgages.
Senator Bragg said it was “possible” the approach he helped to craft did too much on the demand side and could have pushed up prices.
“We need to find demand-side policies which do tilt the scales in favour of first homebuyers, and which do ensure that the bank of mum and dad is not going to be the only way that a young person can get a house. [But] the supply side is very important.”
The main Coalition supply policy at the last election was to fund sewer pipes and connecting roads to build new homes on the urban fringe, which then-housing spokesperson Michael Sukkar said should be the location of the “Australian dream”.
But Senator Bragg said supply policy should not be fixated on outer suburbia.
“Our policies going forward will be reviewed, but my disposition is … if we have a housing supply policy it would be deployed everywhere, in the inner city, in the regions, in the outer suburbs.
“You need to infill. You need to build up where the transport infrastructure is, and the idea that you would have a scheme that would only apply to outer suburbs, I think, is very misguided … People live everywhere, frankly.”
Senator Bragg said Labor’s proposal for the federal government to build homes itself via grants was “one of the craziest ideas I’ve ever heard” and would be opposed.
Instead, he said the focus should be on knocking down barriers to private sector supply at state and local level and left the door open to withholding GST or other payments from states that don’t do enough, an idea he floated as assistant spokesperson.
“In NSW for example, Chris Minns talks a big game on housing, but the Rose Hill complex has fallen over, he’s had a number of disasters under his premiership … Maybe we look at league tables, we look at working out how exactly we rank states.”
*https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-30/liberals-too-focused-on-homebuyer-help-and-urban-sprawl/105354280*
