The headlines of the housing crisis in Australia are becoming more and more troubling. 

The number of Australian homeowners in mortgage stress has hit 30% – and will rise further. More than three-quarters of renters are in extreme rental stress. And according to the rental pain index, two towns in my electorate, Wodonga and Alexandra, are among the 10 most stressed towns in Victoria for renters. 

At the same time, we know the Government is set to miss its target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029 by at least 20 per cent. Unfortunately, this crisis is not going to be over for a while yet. 

Last week was National Homelessness Week, and I met with the Oven-Murray and Goulburn Homelessness Network, who represent organisations across North-East Victoria – including Beyond Housing. In the last year alone, Beyond Housing have worked with almost 3,000 people in the region experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. More than 1,200 of these people have never reached out before. 

That means more people than ever are sleeping rough in parks, in cars, and along riverbanks, or couch-surfing in overcrowded or indeed unsafe homes. 

While we may not garner the same attention as the major cities, we are absolutely experiencing the housing crisis in regional, rural and remote Australia. 

Fundamentally, we need more homes – more well-located homes close to where people study and work. We need more medium-density housing in regional Australia, to support the tens of thousands of new jobs that will be created in coming years in healthcare, education, and the energy transition. And we need governments to build more social and affordable community housing – to support those who are doing it toughest.  

But while the Government has announced a series of measures aimed at addressing the housing crisis, I am unconvinced these measures will go anywhere near what we need to address the crisis in regional and rural Australia. 

The Commhonwealth must fund projects that unlock new housing supply in regional Australia. Too often it is the lack of sewerage and utilities holding back new homes. It’s not glamourous, it’s expensive, and more Commonwealth support is desperately needed

That’s why I welcome the Government’s $1.5 billion housing support program, which will fund upgrades to utilities, roads and community infrastructure, and projects that assist with planning capacity. 

This program was created after I made my case strongly to the Prime Minister for exactly this sort of initiative. 

And I am pleased that two areas in my electorate will benefit from funding announced last month – the City of Wodonga received $410,000 for a Wodonga growth strategy, and Murrindindi Shire received $968,000 to open up land for new housing in Alexandra. 

But this program is too small – and the design of these programs puts regional councils at a disadvantage. I’m concerned that too little of this funding will make its way to the regions.  

That’s why I’ve proposed the Regional Housing Infrastructure Fund. Modelling shows that the regions alone require $2 billion to fund the infrastructure required to meet our National Housing Accord targets. Yet we’ve only got a $1.5 billion program for the whole nation. And with $1 billion of this funding given to the state and territory governments to fund their own housing priorities, we have no guarantees this funding will be shared fairly between regional areas and the cities. 

Regional communities deserve and expect better – and want a commitment to fair federal funding when it comes to fixing the housing crisis. Thirty per cent of Australians live in the regions. And that’s why I’ve consistently called for thirty per cent of housing funding to be quarantined for regional, rural and remote Australia.  

I introduced my Unlocking Regional Housing Bill last year to do exactly this – to guarantee a fair share of funding for towns like Benalla, Wodonga, Wangaratta and so many like them. The Government didn’t allow debate on this Bill – but I will keep pushing.  

More than two years into the 47th Parliament, and the housing crisis is getting worse. The cost of mortgages is crippling for so many families, homelessness is at levels we’ve not seen in my lifetime, and young people don’t think they’ll ever own a home.  

Solving this crisis won’t be easy, and I recognise the Government’s significant investment in tackling the problem. But if we don’t ensure that a fair share of this funding makes it to regional Australia, we will see these communities held back a generation – and see the housing divide widen between the cities and the bush. I can’t accept this.