For our 2026 State Election Housing Scorecard, we looked at the four political parties likely to be receiving the highest number of votes: the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, the Greens, and One Nation.
Due to limited capacity, we were not able to assess the policies of the many independent candidates and smaller parties contesting the State Election.
LABOR PARTY
The Malinauskas Government has begun rebuilding public housing stock during its first term, ending two decades in which the total number of public homes declined, with around 1,000 new public homes to be built, by the end of 2026 (around 590 from State funding, the rest from Federal funding).
However, progress has been modest relative to the scale of the crisis, with almost 14,000 people on the public housing waiting list, and over 7,000 people homeless.
The Labor Party in February announced plans to restore 300 currently vacant public homes and fund 200 supported accommodation places. But even with these commitments, future commitments remain well below the level needed to meet community demand. According to the State Government’s Housing Roadmap, future public housing construction, even with recent announcements, will fall in coming years, below what is even needed to match population growth.
Analysis by SACOSS suggests South Australia needs at least 350 new public homes per year simply to match population growth. Yet the Government’s projected number of annual builds (new public homes) falls from 921 in 2026 to 201 in 2027, declining further to just 87 by 2031.
Labor has also twice voted against rent-capping legislation that would have limited rent rises to inflation. Labor has also shown no interest in vacancy taxes or other measures to address the thousands of empty private homes sitting empty across South Australia during a housing crisis.
All Labor Party policy announcements – including those relating to housing – can be found here.
LIBERAL PARTY
Liberal Party’s housing platform provides little detail about their plans relating to public and community housing stock. The party has not outlined a clear commitment to increasing public housing supply.
During the last term of Parliament, Liberal MPs twice voted against legislation that would have capped rent increases. The party has also not proposed measures to address the large number of homes sitting vacant during the current housing crisis.
All Liberal Party policy announcements – including those relating to housing – can be found here.
GREENS
Of the minor parties, The Greens have the strongest alignment with Anti-Poverty Network SA’s housing policies priorities. Their platform includes a significant expansion of public housing, rent caps to limit increases to inflation, and vacancy taxes designed to encourage owners to rent out empty homes.
During the last term of Parliament, the Greens twice introduced legislation to limit rent increases.
ONE NATION
One Nation’s housing platform focuses largely on issues that fall under Federal Government policy responsibility, including immigration and superannuation. Beyond some proposals aimed at increasing the construction workforce, the party outlines few policies addressing housing supply, rents, or vacant homes at the state level.
The platform also repeats false and racist claims about mass migration is the primary driver of the housing crisis. These claims have been widely challenged by housing and immigration policy researchers.
Further Info
You can read Anti-Poverty Network SA’s State Election demands below – we are calling for urgent action on:
For each issue we have produced a two-page briefing outlining why urgent change is needed and the policy solutions we are proposing.
