Senators must stand up for Australia’s hardest hit

The 30,000 home Housing Australia Future Fund package is a primary measure that needs to be passed by the Federal Parliament to deliver additional new social and affordable housing to the growing numbers of Australians facing housing stress.

Australian renters have been subjected to a 23 percent rise in rents in the three years to March 2023 nationally with a 28% rise in the regions with future increases expected on the back of interest rate rises which is unsustainable, they don’t want perfect they just want a roof over their head.

Australians want leadership on housing from their Parliamentarians. They would expect parliament to get on with the job to resolve amendments where possible to improve and pass this legislation as an opening salvo in the war to help the most vulnerable Australians tackle the cost of housing.

Australians voted for this policy as the first of many housing policies at the May 2022 Federal election, and people continue to vote for cost-of-living relief and change across the states, shown again by the NSW election result on the weekend. This should send a strong message to get Federal housing legislation negotiations concluded to pass this legislation.

30,000 additional social and affordable homes in itself will not solve the mounting housing crisis but will start to build confidence in the Federal Parliament in its lead role to commence sorting out the mess that is housing in Australia.

It is critical for the Senate to negotiate on these measures at hand but also negotiate on the additional measures that will be needed to be the next shots fired in the next two Federal Budgets and beyond to tackle the crisis. Australians can and will always decide whether the measures are enough, but doing nothing over this next period would be neglectful to the duty to Australians in reducing their cost of living.

With Australians at many more levels facing pressure from upward rising interest rates, rising rents and mortgages, there is no doubt that additional measures and many different approaches called upon to solve this crisis, the HAFF is but one of these measures.

Community Housing Providers (CHPs), state governments and their partners are ready to start to deliver a scale program of social and affordable housing that will deliver outcomes, with tenants guaranteed affordability for as long as they need it, with stable discounted market rents locked in for decades.

With CHPs as a group providing most of the increase in social and affordable housing, these measures will strike back on the mounting crisis impacting more Australians and will see our growing sector further helping to deliver more dedicated social and affordable housing into perpetuity.

Australians expect Federal leadership in providing affordable housing and the time is now to pass this vital legislation and start taking action on housing affordability through the HAFF. It can truly open the door on an investment ecosystem and an affordable housing asset class being formed in partnership with states, Community Housing and global investors and should proceed.?