James Paterson labels 1.2 million home building goal ‘delusional’ as Treasury flags shortfall in leak

The Coalition’s acting housing spokesman has called the government’s 1.2 million housing target “delusional”, claiming the amount of homes set to be built is unrealistic.

Speaking on ABC’s RN Breakfast, Liberal senator James Paterson said that while it was “a good thing” to have targets, they had to be achievable.

“It’s certainly a good thing to have targets and it is a good thing to be ambitious, but the ambition has to be realistic and achievable and not delusional and I think we’re now getting into that level of delusion because a target of 1.2 million homes by 2029 would require the government to be building about 250,000 homes a year when only about 170,000 are being constructed, which is a fall from under the previous Coalition government of about 180,000 a year.”

“So we’re going backwards not forwards, and it’s time for either radical policy change to deliver those houses or acceptance that target is not going to be said as Treasury says.”

Senator Paterson’s statement comes after advice from the Treasury was accidentally given to the ABC in a partially unredacted freedom of information release.

The advice warned that the 1.2 million home target “would not be met”.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Monday the government would reach the target but acknowledged that it would need to “do better”.

“Under current trajectories, we would fall short,” Mr Chalmers said.

“But that doesn’t mean that between now and over the course of the next four years that we can’t consider ways and work with the states and territories and others, local governments and others, on ways to build more homes.”

In the interview on RN, Senator Paterson was asked whether the Coalition needed to rethink its position on reducing net migration in order to bring in more skilled workers to help address housing shortages.

Senator Paterson said all of the party’s policies were under review.

“Even in the last term, while we are arguing for overall reduced migration, we did say that one area that should be prioritised within the skilled migration program that would’ve continued was construction given the urgent national priority of building more homes,” he said.

Senator Patterson added that the Coalition had an “ambitious” policy platform at the previous election on housing, including allowing first-home buyers to deduct mortgage payments against their income tax

Senator Paterson was also asked what areas the Coalition would look at to unlock land and increase development.

He said the party would explore supply on the boundaries of cities and within the existing “footprint” of cities, which describes just about everywhere.