We do know that Housing Australia is currently being very hands on with the management of the HAFF. This $10 billion fund is solely focused on getting more housing on the ground faster and cheaper across the country. As we’ve written before, the HAFF is on a mission to increase housing delivery. Last year, it announced its inaugural grants, which will bring up to 13,000 homes online. Yet Housing Australia is already running into issues that threaten to derail its capacity to hit these ambitious targets.
Organizational Challenges and Oversight
Housing Australia faces a series of hurdles in balancing its independence while remaining responsive to policy changes and Ministerial oversight. The arts organization is facing an internal crisis of governance and organizational capacity that makes achieving its mission all the more difficult. As it works to do so in an impactful way, the speed and coordination of program delivery are major ongoing challenges.
Given these challenges, it is timely for a review of Housing Australia. This review provides a valuable opportunity to improve oversight and reset the balance of power between the CEO and the Board. The goal, of course, is to operate more efficiently and increase the impact of everything the organization produces. The opportunity for further integration and enhancement within the planning, development and delivery of Housing Australia’s services has become clear.
Matthew Bowes, an expert in housing policy, highlighted the necessity of leading the Community Housing Provider (CHP) sector in a sustainable and modern manner. He noted that “for those who are even on an Age Pension rate, which is one of the more generous income support payments, they can afford less than 10 percent of one-bedroom homes as a single person in Melbourne or Sydney.”
Ambitious Housing Targets and Adjustments
The overarching purpose of the HAFF is to help build an additional 100,000 new homes across Australia. This ambitious target is in line with the National Housing Accord’s larger goal of providing 1.2 million new homes. According to insiders, this ambitious target is likely due for a downgrade, considering the state of the market and the headwinds that continue to plague Housing Australia.
Even Jim Chalmers, the current star of housing policy, admitted that this would be hard. He stated, “We will need more effort to reach that substantial, ambitious housing target.” This short phrase emphasizes the urgent necessity to pursue new strategies and find new ways to make sure that housing objectives are fulfilled.
Take the New Homes Bonus, which is supposed to incentivize local governments to foster new home development. It can and should be shifted to address the needs of today. Our Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) program is long overdue for a review. Our review is intended as a resource to help advocates support renters in navigating today’s housing crisis.
Protecting Tenants’ Rights
Though the housing landscape continues to change, fending off threats to tenants’ protections will always be an important fight. Bowes’ main takeaway was the need to balance rights with landlord and tenant needs. “Clearly the landlord needs to have their rights protected but we need to make sure we don’t see tenants evicted without their needs taken into consideration,” he remarked.
Renters are becoming increasingly cognizant of their precariousness. This awareness is particularly acute in an overheated well-funded market. Bowes pointed out that “a lot of the levers remain with the states,” indicating that collaboration among various levels of government is essential to effect meaningful reforms.
Whatever your stance on any of the above issues, the current housing crisis has created immense pressure for many Australians. And with housing affordability at a crisis point, stakeholders understand that time is of the essence when it comes to putting real change into action.
