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The Greens are calling on APRA to intervene in Australia’s housing crisis, asking them to reinstate measures used to cool the market in investor lending, following new ABS data released today showing investor lending skyrocketed by 12.3% over the year compared to only a 0.9% increase for first home buyer loan commitments for the same period. The value of new investor loan commitments rose by 18.7%. 

A confluence of factors is pushing the property investor lending market into overheating. Labor’s 5% deposit policy has unleashed a wave of first-home buyers and investors competing for the same properties, driving prices up higher. Adding to this, is the slow roll out of new housing supply from the private market and the Housing Australia Future Fund – which can’t meet demand.

Recent rate cuts are adding to the frenzy, with investors rushing to get in before prices climb higher. House prices are forecast to increase by 9 percent next year on top of more than 6% this year, which will only worsen unless pre-emptive action by APRA is taken. 

The last time APRA required bank tightening on investor loans was back in 2014-2018, which resulted in more loans for owner occupiers and saw some of the most stable house price growth in Australia over the past 30 years.

The Greens say first-home buyers don’t stand a chance in a housing market rigged in favour of wealthy property investors, and in the absence of any sensible government action, APRA must intervene.

Greens spokesperson for finance, housing and homelessness Senator Barbara Pocock:

“Australia needs to get back into the business of giving loans to owner occupiers rather than property investors – and if the government won’t do it, then APRA should.

“This housing crisis will reach a point of no return if we don’t see an urgent intervention. Labor’s policies, including its 5% deposit scheme and $181 billion tax breaks for wealthy property investors – are turbocharging the housing crisis. 

“We’re seeing investor loans outpace homeowner loans at unsustainable levels, first-home buyers being out bid by investors at Saturday auctions, as house prices continue to soar and the banks rake in the profit.

“First-home buyers don’t stand a chance in a housing market rigged against them. House prices have risen at the fastest rate in four years as rates of home ownership have declined, especially among young people (with home ownership amongst  25-29-year-olds dropping from 50% in 1971 to 36% in 2021). 

“We need to urgently reign in an overheated credit market for property investors. APRA has intervened before and they must do it again. They must slow property investor lending as they did in 2014 and 2017 to great effect.

“In the past APRA put the handbrakes on investor lending to reduce investor loan growth to below 10%. Today’s data shows annual growth has leapt up to 12.3% and a jaw-dropping 18.7% increase in the size of investor loans approved. There is frankly no excuse for APRA not to act.

“The problem with housing in Australia is that it has become a wealth accumulation asset, rather than a home in which to live. Housing finance is increasingly spent on investment properties not home ownership, with investors now making up around their highest share of new lending since 2017. 

“Reigning in investor lending growth would be celebrated by renters and aspiring home owners who otherwise feel nothing but despair as they watch a repeat bout of runaway housing price inflation.

“The Treasurer has the power to direct APRA. If Labor really cared about first-home buyers, it would ask APRA to intervene.”

Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice, Sue Higginson, has condemned the antisemitic demonstration by neo-Nazis at NSW Parliament House as a vile act of racial hatred that has no place in a democratic society. Ms Higginson warned Premier Chris Minns not to respond with another round of heavy-handed laws that would only strengthen the far-right by eroding civil rights and freedoms.

Sue Higginson said:

“There are existing criminal offences for racial hatred and vilification. We do not need another knee-jerk reaction from the Premier that chips away at civil liberties and makes it easier for police to target the wrong people,”

“Earlier this year, Labor pushed through a suite of unnecessary and rushed laws that restricted protest rights and freedom of expression and gave police excessive powers. The Greens opposed those laws because we knew that handing more power to police in moments of political pressure only ever backfires. Those laws have since been used against peaceful protesters calling for climate action and justice for Palestine, not against neo-Nazis,”

“The truth is, NSW Police already have enormous powers to stop and disband public gatherings. They didn’t use them in this instance. That’s not a gap in the law – that’s a failure of judgment and leadership. The Premier’s response should be to demand accountability, not to make our democracy smaller,”

“We have seen this pattern before. Every time there’s a moment of public anger, Labor reaches for more police powers instead of strengthening communities or enforcing the laws that already exist. We cannot fight fascism by adopting its tactics. Authoritarian laws do not protect democracy – they hollow it out,”

“We cannot simply arrest our way out of every problem, and the Greens will continue to hold this Government to account with their lazy approach to complex issues. We will always stand against hate, racism and antisemitism, but we will not stand by while our rights and freedoms are traded away in the name of political expediency,” Ms Higginson said.

Doctors and leading road safety experts have united in support of a bill introduced by Greens MP Kobi Shetty, which would make it easier for councils to bring in safer speeds of 30km/h on local neighbourhood streets.

The growing coalition – which includes the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, the Australasian College of Road Safety, Road Sense Australia Ltd, Doctors for the Environment, the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, Safe Streets to School, Bicycle NSW, Walk Sydney, 30 Please, Parents for Climate, Climate Change Balmain Rozelle, and Better Streets – has signed an open letter to the NSW Premier urging the government to adopt safer speeds to protect communities.

Kobi Shetty MP, Member for Balmain and Greens Spokesperson on Active Transport and Sustainable Cities said:

“There is strong support from a broad range of health, safety, and transport experts who have come together to tell the government what communities already know: safer speeds make our streets calmer, safer, and more liveable.”

“It’s clear that more needs to be done to make our streets safer, with figures released in August showing we’re on track for the highest number of road deaths in 15 years.  That’s why I’m pushing ahead with this bill to lower the default speed on neighbourhood streets to 30 km/h, making it easier to keep our community safe.

“The evidence is clear – a person struck by a vehicle at 50km/h has just a 10% chance of survival, compared to 90% at 30km/h. How many more people need to be killed or live with life-altering injuries before the NSW government takes this issue seriously?

“If it’s good enough for Spain, Wales, Bogotá and Ho Chi Minh City to adopt 30km/h limits on local streets, it’s good enough for us. Here in Australia, we’ve seen successful examples in Victoria including the City of Yarra. NSW risks being left behind unless urgent change is made.”

Dr. John Crozier, Chair of the National Trauma Committee at the Royal Australian College of Surgeons said:

“The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) welcomes the introduction of 30 km/h speed zones on local streets as a meaningful step toward safer, more active neighbourhoods.

“Surgeons know how deeply road trauma affects families and communities, and slowing down is one of the most effective ways to prevent serious injury. At 30 km/h, drivers have more time to react, and the chances of someone surviving a crash increase dramatically. These benefits are well proven in cities around the world.

“Lower vehicle speeds make it safer for people to walk and cycle. This helps children, older residents, and local families feel more confident using their streets for daily movement.

“When more people walk or ride, communities become healthier, air quality improves, and local shops and parks come alive with activity. RACS supports residents and local leaders advocating for this initiative, not just as a safety measure, but as a way to build a more connected and active community.”

Dr Ingrid Johnston, CEO of the Australasian College of Road Safety said:

“Every day, children, older adults, and families use their local streets to walk, ride, and connect with their communities. The evidence is clear: 30 km/h saves lives. When we reduce speeds on neighbourhood streets, we dramatically cut the risk of fatal and serious injuries, with almost no impact on travel times.

“This is a proven, globally endorsed measure that delivers safer, quieter and more liveable communities. NSW has a real opportunity to lead the way by adopting a change that will protect thousands of families for generations to come.”

Dr. Jennifer Kent, University of Sydney academic and Spokesperson for 30 Please said:

“Our cities and towns are growing and changing – our current street speeds are no longer fit for purpose, making the places where we live, work and play unsafe, unsustainable and unproductive.

“This Bill will not slow us down – it will bring us up to speed with the rest of the world, responding to World Health Organisation directions, as well as the needs of families, communities and businesses.”

Peter McLean, CEO of Bicycle NSW said:

“Safer speeds benefit everyone, our quiet urban streets are for everyone to share and feel safe on and it is proven the world round that lower speeds have a direct impact on reduced injuries and fatalities. 

“Let’s focus on the massive safety gains rather than the 10 seconds we might lose by travelling around 10km slower.”

The bill proceeds to its second read in Parliament today, with debate likely to occur early next year.

The bill does not apply to arterial or major roads but focuses on local streets where people live, walk, ride their bikes, and play. The open letter remains open for further endorsement and The Greens hope to see the coalition supporting this much-needed change continue to grow.

Greens spokesperson for the environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young:

“Dumping net zero means walking away from environmental protection and climate science. Today the Liberal Party have made it clear they don’t accept the science or the need to protect our environment for future generations. 

“Their economy and climate wrecking stance have ruled them out as a serious party of government and a serious partner on climate and environment.

“The Liberals can’t claim to care about the environment while dumping climate targets.

“Their new energy plan is an anti-climate, anti-environment ploy to delay action and prop up fossil fuel profits. It is nothing but economy wrecking, environmental vandalism.

“The Liberal party now have a policy worse than even Scott Morrison – the bloke who brought a lump of coal into the chamber.

“It won’t cut power bills, but it will hike taxes and living costs for everyday Australians. Asking taxpayers to bankroll new coal is nothing short of absurd.

“The Labor Government must rule out any deal on environment laws with the anti-science, anti-environment Coalition. The Liberals have torched what little environmental credibility they had left.

“Protecting nature means cutting pollution and ending environmental destruction. Climate change is one of the biggest threats to our forests, rivers and wildlife. You can’t separate the two.

“Strong environment laws must tackle pollution, protect wildlife, and confront the climate crisis head-on.

“Labor must choose: side with the polluters, loggers and the environment wreckers in the Liberal Party, or truly protect nature and our climate.

“It’s time the Government picked a lane and got serious about negotiating with the Greens.