Australian Labor Government outlines plans to bolster social housing and counteract the housing crisis

By ABHA HAVAL

The housing crisis in Australia has been gripping the news and media coverage daily, an ever-growing problem that has led to people living out on the streets and in their cars due to increasing rent surpassing the wage growth by 10 percent in the past year.

Even after a decade of short-sighted housing policies, Australia’s middle-income and working classes still cannot afford to purchase or rent a house where they grew up or live closer to workplaces.

The solution to the housing crisis presides at all levels of government. With the Australian Labor Party in power after nine years of Coalition, a new housing agenda has been outlined with the ‘National Housing Accord’, ‘the Housing Australia Future Fund’ (HAFF), and the ‘National Housing and Homelessness Plan’.

REDWatch, a community group that tackles housing issues covering the Sydney suburbs of Redfern, Eveleigh, Darlington, and Waterloo held a meeting last week to discuss the Federal Government’s Housing Policy, the development of social and affordable Public Housing, and the redevelopment of existing public housing estates including Waterloo South.

Present at the meeting were NSW Minister for Housing, Rose Jackson along with Federal Minister for Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, CEO of NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC), Simon Newport, and the President of Australian Local Government Association, Linda Scott. It provided an elaborate opportunity for the community to hear the Federal, Local, and State government’s perspectives on housing policy.

Housing Policies – Past, Present, and Future

Addressing the crisis, Plibersek outlines plans by the current federal government to stem the tide and assist society’s most vulnerable.

“The most interesting is the HAFF that has a $10 million fund and the income that is generated from that will help built 30,000 homes in its first 5 years. We have set aside 4,000 of those specifically for women and children escaping domestic violence,” she said.

“In the most recent budget, we’ve increased the renters’ budget by 15 percent for more than 1.1 million Australians (since the last decade). We have put $2 million for more social and affordable housing by increasing guarantees by the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation, an organization that helps build more community housing”.

She continues, describing how the federal government is also working with state, local, and community bodies in an attempt to tackle the issue on every possible level.

“We’ve signed a new housing accord with local and state governments with an ambition to build a new medium located homes over 5 years from 2024. We’ve received additional federal funding of $350 million to deliver 10,000 affordable rental homes over 5 years from 2024 as part of that accord”.

“We’ve [also] provided $67.5 million to states and charities to the National Housing Homelessness Agreement to tackle homelessness this year which is part of the $1.6 billion extension of the Agreement”.

Providing Social and Affordable Housing

Discussing the assistance, Minister Jackson voices her appreciation while also underscoring the NSW government’s dedication to improving housing conditions.

“The contribution from the federal government is not enough to solve everything, and the state government is going to have to step up and do a lot more along with a federal partner who will put finance and land on the table, and I think we have that,” she said.

Jackson also expressed agreement with the government’s aims to focus on vulnerable individuals, pledging to direct efforts towards providing social and affordable housing rather than conducting redevelopments for private buyers.

Releasing a statement on Saturday, June 17, the Minister and NSW Government outlined a new approach to creating social housing in Sydney by refurbishing existing properties.

Elaborating on this “next stage of the plan,” the media release describes the early stages of restoration and renovation projects currently occurring across the inner city – transforming vacant homes to boost affordable housing stock while also providing safe places for those in need.

“Instead of selling a number of public housing properties, we have refurbished 35 vacant properties in Glebe to boost social housing in inner Sydney and provide more safe homes for those in need. Five properties had already been restored, with 21 currently undergoing renovations and nine more slated for restoration,” it states.

“We have recognised the potential to restore these properties to a quality standard to meet the increasing demand for inner-city social housing.”

Forward and Back

The statement also acknowledges the previous missteps in government action, which focused heavily on redevelopment projects to the detriment, and “unnecessary stress,” of residents in existing tenements, while “not delivering a substantial uplift in social and affordable housing.”

Commenting on the release, Jackson reaffirms her commitment to providing housing while maintaining a people-first attitude.

“We have inherited a social housing system that has been neglected for over a decade, we want to rebuild our housing system to prioritise the people of NSW,” she states.

“The restoration of these properties in Glebe reflects our unwavering commitment to providing quality homes for vulnerable people right across Sydney, including in our inner city.”

She ultimately concedes that this is a small step towards solving the overall crisis, but remains vigilant it can be done.

“We know that there is more to be done and every opportunity we have to deliver more homes for the growing housing wait list – we will take it,” she concludes.