Letters
The Age
Tuesday March 8, 2011
Ted goes missing in battle for YarraHIGH-RISE development on the banks of the Yarra represents a serious assault on the public interest, as has long been evident ("Riverside addresses raise concern for Yarra's future", The Saturday Age, 5/3). The more important question is: when will government do something about it?Last May, planning minister Justin Madden promised to honour Labor's 2006 election promise to prevent inappropriate development along the Yarra. Later in the year, Ted Baillieu, as opposition leader, went further and said that in government he would not only protect the Yarra but would resurrect the Melbourne Ring Park project. The new government could not spare a day in sending cattle up to the high country but there is still no sign of any protective action for the Yarra.Geoff Mosley, HurstbridgeScandalous shortageTHE Hub was never a good solution to homelessness ("One less place for homeless to go", Editorial, 4/3). Rooming houses rarely are. They are expensive, grimy and the shared facilities mean the quality of your daily life is contingent on the health, habits and hospitality of the strangers you happen to be bedding down with. The problem here isn't the loss of a good housing provider, but that Melbourne's scandalous shortage of social and affordable housing has made The Hub the best least-worst option.As The Hub shuts its doors, my concern is primarily with residents being dumped into homelessness by the gentrification wave. But I'm also worried about the impact on local crisis housing services and their workers, of which I am one. Losing our least-worst options means we are left just with the worst options to offer those who seek our help. Having to refer someone to unsafe housing breaks our hearts and often our spirits.Katie Dunlop, South YarraDream now a nightmareA REPORT in The Economist states that house prices here are the most overvalued in the world, confirming comments made by the International Monetary Fund. It is clear what factors are at play: limited investment in rental property, growing population, open market for foreign investors, and the indifference of all levels of government.What is dramatic is that we could see a new generation of Australians who will never be able to afford a home and who will have difficulty finding rental accommodation. Criticisms of Australia being overpopulated seems well-founded.Peter Appleton, Brown HillInvestors favouredI HAVE sent a simple question to Prime Minister Julie Gillard regarding home affordability but have yet to receive an answer.Why is there a policy that disadvantages first home buyers over investors? The sting is that taxes paid by people who can't buy a home contribute towards gifting investors this financial advantage.So Julia, why aren't we giving first home buyers at least the same advantage to buy a property they can live in with their family as that of the investor who rents it out (in part, ironically enough, to those who have no hope of entering the house market) and enjoys the negative-gearing benefits?Matthew Ellis, Glenhuntly
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