New Govt to look at affordable housing

GOOD news that re-elected Lae MP John Rosso, said there are plans to look at addressing housing issues for low income earners in the country.
He made the comments while in his capacity as the acting Prime Minister last week.
Housing is an important human need in all Papua New Guinea urban centres and despite the rapidly expanding economy, chances of most urban families acquiring homes of their own remain slim.
Rosso made the remarks while commenting on the Tuhava Satellite town pilot project in Central which will convert 585 hectares of traditional land with the consent of landowners to build 4000 houses for middle income earners.
“It’s a step in the right direction by harnessing traditional land which is a very sensitive issue at this point in time with us as Papua New Guineans.
“Land is the basis of a lot of our lives and having the traditional landowners at Tuhava working with the lands department and the developer.”
Housing is a problem that many families face and in spite of the building boom in some of our major centres, particularly the nation’s capital Port Moresby, it is fair to say that most citizens live somewhere between the margin that separates settlements from low cost basic housing.
One end of the spectrum, you have the foreign workforce and well-to-do Papua New Guineans (politicians, managers, business men and women) and the middle class occupying the best homes money can buy, while around them in every corner and crack shoot settlements virtually unhindered, populated by people who have next to no means for even the basics for a place of abode – services and amenities like clean running water, electricity, a proper sewerage system in place and garbage disposal – are not freely available to those who live in these places.
An increasing trend one finds is that a good number of these settlement dwellers are actually formally employed and some even have tertiary level education and work over a wide cross section of the community in jobs in the private sector from banking to construction and in the public service from the police force to health and teaching.
Unfortunately, the acute lack of affordable homes and more to the point, reasonable rental rates has driven many to the settlements or crammed them into suburban homes with as many as two or three families to a residence.
This is the reality for many Papua New Guineans and the cry has been long and rough over the years but now with the expansion of the middle class, the demand for better quality homes is getting louder and louder from all corners.
Whoever forms Government next month must and should ensure all housing initiatives and projects under the National Land and Affordable Housing Programme becomes a reality.
One such project is the Gerehu Stage 3B and Duran Farm Housing Project, and the Government must continue to make further progress with the aim of making housing more affordable to ordinary Papua New Guineans.
The Government, through the National Housing Corporation had commenced developing the National Housing Policy in 2018 but with little progress.
The Policy will provide an overarching framework to allow for the provision of affordable housing.
We note the Government has directed the ICCC to re-assess the Real Estate and Housing Review done in 2009 and provide solutions for the accommodation problem faced by urban dwellers.
The ICCC assessed that there are multiple suppliers of accommodation/housing but due to excessive demand, the price charged is not reflective of the services provided by the land-lords.
If legislators could tighten the way, the property rental markets are run then we should see more people living in decent homes.
Anyone who works hard to earn a living deserves to have a place to call home.