ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has today announced that a Canberra Liberals Government will deliver an additional 2000 social and affordable dwellings for Canberrans in need through continued public housing growth and renewal, more community housing properties, affordable housing for ‘key workers’ and incentivising investment in community housing.

A Canberra Liberals Government will:

• contribute 100 residential land lots for mixed used housing per year, for four years to community housing providers on a shared equity basis

• commence a pilot program to set aside residential dwellings exclusively for rental and purchase by 'key workers' such as nurses and teachers

• incentivise development on community zoned land to encourage more affordable housing

• offer land to community housing providers on a 25-year peppercorn lease, to allow them to develop more affordable properties

• provide additional $5 million to immediately address the most urgent maintenance issues in ACT public housing

• commit 10 per cent of all new developments being reserved for social housing.

Ms Lee said the policies announced today focus on enabling the Community Housing sector to play a much bigger role in the provision of social and affordable dwellings and significantly enhance their ability to access funding through the Housing Australia Future Fund.

"Canberra's public housing supply has fallen behind the rate of of population growth and we have a shortfall of social housing dwellings and affordable rentals," Ms Lee said.

"Boosting supply is critical in solving the housing crisis and the community housing sector is well placed to step up and fill the gap.

"Working with community housing providers and supplying them with suitable land, with no upfront costs, means they only have to fund the construction costs of the property, making it an attractive option," Ms Lee concluded.

Shadow Minister for Housing Mark Parton said a Canberra Liberals Government will invest in a number of measures aimed at providing affordable housing to key workers to help attract them to the ACT.

The measures include a rental program run through Hosing ACT where tenants will pay a reduced rent of 50 per cent of the market rate and a purchasing program run through Hope Housing where stamp duty will be waived.

"Canberra has a key worker shortage and one of the main issues contributing to this in the ACT is the lack of affordable housing under a Labor-Greens Government," Mr Parton said.

"A Canberra Liberals Government will invest in a number of measures aimed at providing affordable housing to key workers and ensuring that they can live and work in our community."

Mr Parton said a Canberra Liberals Government will also incentivise development on community zoned land to encourage development of more affordable housing.

"There are large amounts of community zoned land throughout the ACT which can be used for social housing however can be unviable.

"Lease variation charges also act as an impediment for development in these areas which under a Canberra Liberals Government we will exempt as well as ensure that development application from community housing providers are dealt with as quickly as possible," Mr Parton concluded.