Matt Cross, recently marking his first year as the Member for Davidson, was arguably elected into the role during the beginning of incredibly challenging times in NSW. Since he was elected, it has been all about hitting the ground running for Matt.
Growing up in Hornsby, his grandparents in Frenchs Forest, and visiting them through Mona Vale Road and North Turramurra, the Davidson electorate was entrenched within Matt from a young age.
Matt’s recent social media post wasn’t just about a new stance. It was a call to action for the forgotten people of Australia – renters. Matt’s focus is on alleviating the financial burden on this overlooked group, who he believes are the new face of the housing crisis.
“Robert Menzies, who founded the Liberal Party, called a group of individuals in society represented by the government as the forgotten people. These were hardworking Australians who were aspirational in every sense of the word. All parties, including the Liberal Party, should embrace renters because we want renters to become homeowners. In modern times, being a renter and saving for a house’s first deposit is extremely difficult. Today, it takes 13 times the average annual income to buy a house in Sydney and in 1981, it was only five times, so you can see the difficulty.”
Matt Cross and Chris Rath, a fellow Member of the upper house, have both proposed five key policies to ensure that people can go from being renters to becoming homeowners.
“The first, of course, was encouraging long-term rental agreements. A second is being innovative and working with the insurance industry to devise an insurance product. So you don’t have to save for big rental bonds with thousands of dollars.
Third, it’s championed by the Federal Liberal Party, which is that first-time buyers should be able to get access to their superannuation because if you can have a secure retirement, and then that’s the ultimate aim of superannuation, owning a home is the best foundation.
Fourth, bringing back the policy that the Labor government abolished, which was the first-time buyers’ choice. Finally, we need more housing in Sydney, and more supply is required. You do that best by working with local councils and local communities.”
Although with a clear vision to give renters a needed leg up, Matt continues to advocate against the NSW labour government transport-oriented developments, with Davidson’s train stations and surrounding areas well in the sights of the Minns government.
“Four of them (TODs) are in the Davidson electorate: Roseville, Linfield, Killara, and Gordon. There’s no consultation with the council or community. And I think that’s really disappointing. Everyone agrees we do need more housing, but I don’t think the Labour government’s approach is the right one.”
Matt has established a local community petition that has been signed by over 2000 people, calling on the government to undertake proper planning and proper processes. Matt’s street stalls have also picked up traction, with residents waiting before the stalls are set up, upset that developers are asking if they are interested in purchasing their property.
It’s clear Matt Cross intends to make life easier for struggling Australians. With the ongoing cost of living and imminent housing policy changes on the doorstep of his electorate, his introduction to his role as Member has been no easy feat. Still, his commitment to making a positive difference to his constituents has never swayed.
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