Renters vote.

It seems the Northern Territory Government has forgotten who votes them in, or out.

It's not the property developers. They simply grease the wheels for their development projects to go ahead so that they can make massive profits here.

It certainly isn't the property investors. They all live in other states. They simply use the Northern Territory to fund their comfortable lives elsewhere.

The voters are those of us who actually live here, and who are finding it increasingly difficult to do so.

Rent prices have doubled in the last three years in Darwin, despite the apparent massive increase in available housing, especially in the CBD.

This goes quite contrary to the basic supply and demand rule of economics.

This is because only a very small percentage of the units that have been built in Darwin over the last three years are being made available to meet the high demand. They are being drip fed onto the market at a rate that ensures demand remains above supply, thus creating a sellers market (I have even heard of "rent auctions" going on).

A great number of units are simply being held, under advice from the real estate agents, in the belief that Darwin is such a boom town that these properties will be worth double in just two years. So of course the owners don't want people living in them in the mean time and causing maintenance costs to increase.

The market is being manipulated by greedy folk to maximize their commissions and returns.

But a person of minimal means, who has dedicated twelve years to (and many I know who are born and bred, and way older than any of you, have dedicated their lives to) the upkeep and service of this great town/city, can always apply for housing through NT Housing, I hear you say.

And wait for two and a half years to be placed in a fringe camp. In the mean time you must remain a resident of the Northern Territory.

And live where?

The answer.

The Northern Territory Government must make a commitment to purchase a fixed percentage of the properties from all residential development projects, to be made available as subsidized public housing.

The Federal Government handsomely subsidizes it's people (the ADF , high level public servants and Government consultants), who make up a fair percentage of the demand for housing. And who, through those subsidies, are able to out-compete the locals.

It's time the Territory Government started looking after it's own too. After all we are the ones who get to vote, come the day.



Robert Fyffe