National Wrong On Housing Claim

Housing Minister Mark Gosche said today that National MP Wyatt Creech’s suggestion that the new government had promised to fully introduce income related state house rents by July this year was wrong.

"Labour’s policy is to return to income-related rentals with low income households paying no more than 25 percent of their income in rent.

"This promise will be implemented within the first term of the new Labour-Alliance government. No specific commitment, however, was ever given that this could be achieved within the first budget.

"Mr Creech's supposed concern for state house tenants defies belief when it was his government that for years rack-rented state house tenants, forcing thousands of families to live below the poverty line as a result. It will take longer than six months for the new government to fix nine years of National’s housing disaster," Mr Gosche said.

Contact: Mark Gosche 04 470 6567