The member for Indi says regional housing remains a "blind spot" for the federal government and it needs to realise a tailored approach is needed to address the accommodation crisis beyond the capital cities.
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Helen Haines was commenting after having given the keynote address recently at a national housing summit and following the introduction of a bill by a fellow crossbencher that calls for a ban on foreign ownership of Australian homes.
"Regional housing is a blind spot for this government," Dr Haines said.
"The regional challenges are different and there is no 'one size fits all approach' to solving the housing crisis."
Dr Haines put a bill to parliament in September 2023 that sought at least 30 per cent of the Commonwealth's housing funding be directed towards regional areas.
On Monday this week, fellow Independent Andrew Gee, who was elected as a Nationals MP for the Central West NSW seat of Calare, put forward his bill that aims to ban foreign purchases of residences.
"A ban on cashed-up foreign buyers purchasing Aussie homes would take pressure off the market straight away, and that is the aim of this bill," Mr Gee told parliament.
"Clause 6 of the bill introduces a prohibition on non-Australians and foreign entities purchasing residential property during the two-year period starting on commencement of the act.
"Non-citizens, non-permanent residents and foreign controlled companies will be included in this prohibition."
A fine of $250,000 would apply if there was a breach.
Mr Gee said in the year to June 2022, 4228 homes had been sold to foreign buyers and 75 per cent of them cost less than $1 million.
He suggested while these properties may be primarily in capital cities there was a flow-on to country areas.
"The fact is, when demand increases in a city, speculators look to park their wealth in properties located in regional centres and thriving towns-causing regional house and rental prices to skyrocket," Mr Gee said.
Whether Mr Gee's bill is formally debated is now dependent on the Labor government and whether it includes the proposal as part of proceedings over coming weeks.
Dr Haines declined to say if she supported Mr Gee's initiative.
"I welcome the member for Calare's work on regional housing," Dr Haines said.
"Last year he seconded my Unlocking Regional Housing Bill, as regional independents, we're doing the work."
Meanwhile, Dr Haines' stances on funding for regional housing and infrastructure have been mirrored by the managing director of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Marnie Baker.
"We would like to see 40 percent of the Housing Australia Future Fund directed to regional Australia to support population growth, address the regional housing crisis, and unlock the economic potential of Australia's regional communities," Ms Baker said.
"We are also calling on the Government to unite with state and local governments to unlock the critical enabling infrastructure that will ensure new homes are connected to the services that are essential to keeping regional Australia a great place to live."
