Since its commencement in 2008, ACT Labor’s Land Rent Scheme has proven an attractive option for more than 1000 low-income Canberra families wishing to achieve the dream of affordable home ownership. The Labor Government has now welcomed the addition of another lender to the scheme today – providing Canberrans with even greater choice of mortgage provider.

Mr Seselja and the Liberals on the other hand have tried again and again to force the Government into abandoning the Land Rent Scheme – describing the Labor initiative as "flawed from the start" and "bound to fail".  Mr Seselja should admit he was wrong and explain to the more than 1000 Canberra families who now have homes that they can afford, why he opposed the creation of the innovative Labor scheme.

The Land Rent Scheme is just one of 84 initiatives to improve housing affordability for Canberrans in the ACT Labor Government’s Affordable Housing Action Plan.

Other initiatives include:

• A requirement that at least 20 per cent of all new estates include affordable housing priced at no more than $337,000,
• an accelerated land release program – delivering over 13,000 sites over the past three financial years,
• and a boost to community housing, with the creation of a $70 million revolving loan to CHC Affordable Housing – to deliver 500 new affordable homes for sale, and 500 affordable rental homes by 2018.

For further information on the land rent scheme, please visit www.economicdevelopment.act.gov.au.