Extract from ABC News
Updated
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has accused the
Federal Government of being out of touch on housing affordability after
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce suggested people move to the country
if they want to purchase a home.
Mr Joyce downplayed concerns
over housing affordability in Sydney on Tuesday night saying "houses
will always be incredibly expensive if you can see the Opera House and
the Sydney Harbour Bridge".
Mr Joyce, whose party strongly advocates decentralisation, told the ABC people should instead move to rural or regional areas where housing is cheaper.
"I did move out west so I can say this, if you've got the gumption in you and you decide to move to Charleville — you're going to have a very affordable house," he said.
"But if you say 'Well, I want a really affordable house in Mosman', yeah, well, don't we all?"
Mr Joyce's comments followed a new survey which rated Sydney's housing as among the least affordable in the world, with house prices about 12.2 times annual household incomes.
Labor jumped on Mr Joyce's remarks, with Mr Shorten accusing him of brushing off the issue with "a few flip lines".
"There's very little chance that this Government will do anything serious about the question of housing affordability when senior ministers like Barnaby Joyce make silly statements about housing affordability," he said.
"Quite frankly, they don't get it, and they don't seem to care."
Few optimists on housing outlook
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"[Moving] is not an option for everyone," he said.
"It shouldn't be this Government's only answer when it comes to housing affordability.
"The fact of the matter is that Barnaby Joyce's electorate has the highest unemployment rate in New South Wales."
According to the Department of Employment, the New England region — which includes Tamworth — has a higher unemployment rate than any Sydney suburb.
In terms of youth unemployment, only the suburb of Ryde has a higher rate than new England.
Mr Bowen said he was not against "carefully calibrated policies" on decentralisation, but argued this was not what Mr Joyce had proposed.
"Time to get a policy instead of lecturing people," he said.
Embed: Unemployment rates in Sydney and Tamworth
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