Housing construction work is about to fall off a cliff and the Morrison Government has no plan to help tradies in trouble.
The pipeline of work in the housing construction industry is drying up and will result in a sharp decline in work for around 10 378 tradies and 2 573 small and family businesses working in construction in Macarthur unless urgent action is taken.
Labor called on the Federal Government over five weeks ago to develop a National Housing Stimulus Plan to stop massive job losses in the housing construction industry.
“Almost one million people work in the construction industry, with around ten thousand of them working right here in Macarthur,” Dr Mike Freelander said.
“The Government needs to stop delaying and urgently develop a plan to help save the jobs of around 10 000 local tradies and 2 500 small and family businesses.”
Before COVID-19 hit between 170,000 to 160,000 homes were expected to be built this year. Now it is predicted to be as low as 100,000.
To help fill this gap Labor has already called on the Government to:
- work with state governments, the private sector and superannuation funds to invest in more social and affordable housing and the repair and maintenance existing social housing; and
- build more affordable rental housing for the true heroes of the COVID-19 crisis - nurses, cleaners, aged care workers, supermarket workers, bus drivers, and other front-line workers – closer to where they work.
Before the COVID-19 hit a lot of locals in Macarthur were struggling to buy and rent a home:
- Home ownership rates were at their lowest level in 60 years
- Rental stress was through the roof, and
- The last Census revealed more Australians were homeless than ever before
While housing has been key to this health crisis – it can also be a key part of economic recovery.
In times of economic shock, housing construction has played a vital role in national economic recovery.
Now is the time to act. The Government needs to hurry up and act before more local tradies in Macarthur lose their jobs and more small and family businesses hit the wall.
