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Last Wednesday, 4 June, an assault on fundamental property rights was launched in the Legislative Council.

The Greens’ Use of Vacant Land legislation, passed the chamber threatening a cornerstone of our legal system.

This Bill proposes that local or state governments could assume control of privately owned land without consent — and without compensation. It is not only outrageous but dangerous.

This approach distracts from the real and pressing issues driving housing undersupply. In many cases, it is government delays — not private owners — that are holding up development-ready land.

“The Bill is focused on the wrong problem. In many cases, if there is land that’s vacant that could have housing put on it, I’ve got heaps of members that want to build more houses,” says UDIA SA Chief Executive, Liam Golding speaking to FiveAA.

“They want to get out there, they want to solve the housing crisis that we’re in. But the hold-up isn’t the fact that they don’t want to do it or can’t do it, it’s that they can’t get infrastructure, they can’t get the permissions, the planning consent to actually go on and build.”

By creating a mechanism for the State to potentially delay or obstruct development, and then step in to repurpose the land, this Bill sets a deeply troubling precedent. It undermines the certainty that is essential for private investment in housing supply — particularly at a time when the sector is under immense pressure to deliver.

“The Bill threatens fundamental property rights in South Australia by allowing government to take control of privately owned land without consent or compensation.

“It risks undermining investment confidence and distracts from the real causes of housing undersupply, such as delayed infrastructure and planning approvals,” says Arvin Bisbal, Director of Solesse, a UDIA SA member.

“This legislation is deeply concerning. I’ve long raised alarm about the housing crisis we face, but this proposal is not a credible solution.

“I’ve already reached out to the government to raise our concerns, to point out that this bill should not progress any further, that this can’t become law, because where we are in South Australia, everyone relies on property rights as the foundation of our entire system. So our society is potentially being upended,” says Liam.

“Michelle Lensink, Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning, has been on the record in Parliament last night opposing this Bill. And the property industry absolutely congratulates the Liberal Party for taking a sensible approach to this Bill.”