The Rudd-era scheme,launched in 2008,allows lower- and middle-income households to pay 20 per cent less than market rents. It was cut by the Abbott government in 2014,with a gradual phase-out by the end of 2025.
Some,including the Grattan Institute,have condemned the scheme as a $1 billion windfall for developers that failed to benefit most in need of rental assistance.Others,however,saythe idea behind it remains one of the key means of addressing rental affordability.
One participant,who rents a one-bedroom apartment in an inner-Brisbane building that also includes private rentals,said the scheme had been incredibly beneficial and that she was not even aware it was coming to an end until this week,when a friend told her.
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The woman,who asked to remain anonymous due to concern about repercussions from her landlord,was accepted into the scheme in 2014 after a career change and health issues. She is now on income support after losing her job at the start of the pandemic.
Her allocation in the scheme will end in two years,and she said the next federal government should reboot help for renters rather than largely focusing on home ownership.
“There should be more of these places around,there’s not enough in my opinion,” she said.