SPÖ denounces

Where the Black-Blue Coalition Falls Short of Its Own Goals

For certain surgeries, wait times have increased dramatically in recent years.(Bild: Imre Antal)

The SPÖ has once again carefully reviewed the government program presented by the ÖVP and SPÖ five years ago. Its conclusion: The Black-Blue coalition has failed to achieve several of the goals it set for itself—for example, in the areas of health care, housing, and work-life balance.

The SPÖ has combed through the Black-Blue government program drafted five years ago and found that the goals outlined in it have not been met in some areas.

One example: filling vacant positions for doctors in the public health insurance system. SPÖ health spokesperson Peter Binder says: “According to a recent analysis commissioned by the Chamber of Labor, Upper Austria ranks last nationwide in terms of the number of registered doctors in the public health insurance system. This drives people to emergency rooms and lengthens waiting lists.” For example, waiting times for knee surgery have doubled within four years, from a maximum of 44 to 87 weeks currently.

Rents Have Risen, Housing Budget Cut
In addition, the Black-Blue coalition wanted to curb rising housing costs in 2021 and “prevent cost drivers.” The SPÖ’s conclusion: Average rents, including operating costs, have risen from 7.40 to 9.20 euros per square meter since 2021. At the same time, the SPÖ points to a decline in housing subsidy funding: in 2009, the housing budget still accounted for 6.2 percent of the state budget; by 2025, it will amount to only about 3.5 percent. Binder: “If the state had maintained the 6.2 percent allocation, over one billion euros more would have flowed into affordable housing and the construction industry from 2021 to 2025 alone.”

High Rate of Women Working Part-Time
Regarding the government’s plan to improve the work-life balance, the SPÖ notes: Only 6.7 percent of children under three and 38.9 percent of three- to six-year-olds attend a full-time childcare facility. The result is a part-time employment rate among women of nearly 56 percent—the second-highest figure in Austria after Vorarlberg. Against this backdrop, SPÖ caucus leader Sabine Engleitner-Neu is calling for free childcare in the afternoons as well, the expansion of childcare services, and the abolition of the childcare bonus.