As a result, there is now less federal funding for new social and affordable housing than at any time in the past decade. For example, the Rudd administration`s promise to halve the rate of homelessness by 2020 has turned into a “decrease in the number of people affected by homelessness and repeated homelessness.” Similarly, the 2008 commitment to reduce the proportion of low-income renter households suffering from rental stress by 10% has been replaced by a commitment to simply reduce the proportion of these households. However, the Commonwealth has failed to expand or replace other major housing programmes that have been put in place over the past decade. These include the National Rent Affordability Program, which has resulted in more than 36,000 new affordable rental apartments, and a A$5 billion national partnership to improve housing supply and conditions in remote (mostly Indigenous) communities. As part of its mandate to review sectoral agreements of national significance, the Productivity Commission will conduct the planned review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA). Homelessness strategies should consider NHHA priority cohorts and describe reforms or initiatives that reduce the incidence of homelessness. Priority homeless cohorts include: On Monday, December 13, 2021, the Productivity Commission announced its intention to review the NHHA agreement and provided a statement of work. A discussion paper will be published in December 2021. Read more: A National Affordable Housing Strategy: Necessary, Achievable and Perhaps on the Way So there is a disconnect between the noble goal of improving access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing and the financing it can support. Until this funding gap is closed, all new national agreements on housing and homelessness will differ significantly only in name. This highlights differences in housing conditions between jurisdictions and includes priorities at the state level in addition to those at the Commonwealth level. Those published so far differ considerably in terms of ambition and specificity. This information, along with our members` advice and the findings of other research and reports, will be used to inform a submission for review by the Productivity Commission earlier this year.

Read more: We won`t close the gap if the Commonwealth cuts support for Indigenous housing This month, another political housing agreement between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments went into effect. The National Accord on Housing and Homelessness is the latest in a 73-year series of intergovernmental pacts to ensure affordable housing for low-income Australians and fund services for the homeless. This expanded coverage is generally welcome, but it does not meet the demands of a national housing strategy. This means that many domestic measures that have a significant impact on housing demand and costs – such as housing investment taxes, immigration levels and income support for tenants – remain outside the reach of the agreement. Such a policy also strongly influences the prospects for reducing housing stress. But at a time of population growth and persistent housing shortages, the Commonwealth`s recent budget pledge to maintain its current financial contribution of A$1.3 billion to the housing deal means that real funding has not been increased. It is not enough to keep it as it was to cover the cost of current services, let alone to increase it. It replaces the ten-year National Affordable Housing Accord and a number of partnerships since 2008 to address homelessness – the National Homelessness Partnership Agreement. The latest agreement includes more achievable performance indicators than its predecessors. It also requires states to report on their annual financial contributions – a step worthy of transparency.

This is in addition to funding of approximately $5.3 billion in 2021-2022 through the Commonwealth Rent Assistance Program to help individuals in the private rental market and community housing pay their rent. It will explore options to maximize the impact of Commonwealth investments and improve progress towards the goals of the agreement: a well-functioning social housing system, affordable housing and an effective homelessness system. .

As a result, there is now less federal funding for new social and affordable housing than at any time in the past decade. For example, the Rudd administration`s promise to halve the rate of homelessness by 2020 has turned into a “decrease in the number of people affected by homelessness and repeated homelessness.” Similarly, the 2008 commitment to reduce the proportion of low-income renter households suffering from rental stress by 10% has been replaced by a commitment to simply reduce the proportion of these households. However, the Commonwealth has failed to expand or replace other major housing programmes that have been put in place over the past decade. These include the National Rent Affordability Program, which has resulted in more than 36,000 new affordable rental apartments, and a A$5 billion national partnership to improve housing supply and conditions in remote (mostly Indigenous) communities. As part of its mandate to review sectoral agreements of national significance, the Productivity Commission will conduct the planned review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA). Homelessness strategies should consider NHHA priority cohorts and describe reforms or initiatives that reduce the incidence of homelessness. Priority homeless cohorts include: On Monday, December 13, 2021, the Productivity Commission announced its intention to review the NHHA agreement and provided a statement of work. A discussion paper will be published in December 2021. Read more: A National Affordable Housing Strategy: Necessary, Achievable and Perhaps on the Way So there is a disconnect between the noble goal of improving access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing and the financing it can support. Until this funding gap is closed, all new national agreements on housing and homelessness will differ significantly only in name. This highlights differences in housing conditions between jurisdictions and includes priorities at the state level in addition to those at the Commonwealth level. Those published so far differ considerably in terms of ambition and specificity. This information, along with our members` advice and the findings of other research and reports, will be used to inform a submission for review by the Productivity Commission earlier this year.

Read more: We won`t close the gap if the Commonwealth cuts support for Indigenous housing This month, another political housing agreement between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments went into effect. The National Accord on Housing and Homelessness is the latest in a 73-year series of intergovernmental pacts to ensure affordable housing for low-income Australians and fund services for the homeless. This expanded coverage is generally welcome, but it does not meet the demands of a national housing strategy. This means that many domestic measures that have a significant impact on housing demand and costs – such as housing investment taxes, immigration levels and income support for tenants – remain outside the reach of the agreement. Such a policy also strongly influences the prospects for reducing housing stress. But at a time of population growth and persistent housing shortages, the Commonwealth`s recent budget pledge to maintain its current financial contribution of A$1.3 billion to the housing deal means that real funding has not been increased. It is not enough to keep it as it was to cover the cost of current services, let alone to increase it. It replaces the ten-year National Affordable Housing Accord and a number of partnerships since 2008 to address homelessness – the National Homelessness Partnership Agreement. The latest agreement includes more achievable performance indicators than its predecessors. It also requires states to report on their annual financial contributions – a step worthy of transparency.

This is in addition to funding of approximately $5.3 billion in 2021-2022 through the Commonwealth Rent Assistance Program to help individuals in the private rental market and community housing pay their rent. It will explore options to maximize the impact of Commonwealth investments and improve progress towards the goals of the agreement: a well-functioning social housing system, affordable housing and an effective homelessness system. .