Towards better cities and more effective housing policy
Anne Tiernan
Contributing to better governance and public policy through strategic advice, research and professional learning.
The article ‘No Home for Housing: The Situation of the Commonwealth's Housing Policy Advisory Function’ from a special issue of the Australian Journal of Public Administration is useful background reading for the SGS Economics and Planning and Planning Institute of Australia Discussion Forum: 'An intergovernmental deal on better cities' discussion forum at the Shine Dome in Canberra on 24 August.
In it, UNSW City Futures Research Centre Vivienne Milligan and I explored the impact of the Commonwealth’s erratic and episodic engagement with housing policy over recent decades. The lack of effective demand for analysis and advice from ministers, the fragmentation of responsibilities through recurrent machinery of government changes, has created a persistent problem
Our argument, that the Commonwealth needs to adopt a more strategic approach that addresses longer term needs as well as the economic, social and environmental consequences of its housing policies, remains relevant to contemporary debates about roles and responsibilities within the Australian federation - including for cities policy.
Our analysis of the forces that have diminished the Australian Public Service’s capacity and expertise in this foundational domain of public policy, offers a primer and rapid orientation to how we got to now, and what might be done to support better coordination and decision-making between the tiers of government. We highlight the deep capacity and expertise that is dispersed across the networks that comprise the housing policy community and that community’s strong commitment to working with governments towards more effective, sustainable policy outcomes.?
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Other articles in the special issue offer insights into the problem of policy capacity and capability that is front of mind for governments internationally, including the?Albanese Labor federal government.
My introduction ‘Advising Australian Federal Governments: Assessing the Evolving Capacity and Role of the Australian Public Service’; and a later article on ‘Craft and Capacity in the Public Service’ elaborate concerns about declining policy skills and capabilities, and locate them in historical and comparative context.?
It is timely to revisit our survey of capability across six key policy domains in Australian federal government and to draw lessons to support ambitious policy reforms and to strengthen policy capacity.
The discussion forum in Canberra is an example of the potential for cross-sectoral collaboration to leverage capability and expertise and to create platforms to help confront the generational challenges Australia faces in cities and housing policy.
Registered Planner and Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia ????
2 年Very much enjoyed your contribution to the Intergovernmental deal on better cities discussion last night Anne. We desperately need to revamp how our federation operates to cope with modern and future challenges. Better coordination and decision making between the three spheres of government ( and dare I say business community and NGOs) is required of us Australians if we are seriously going to meet the considerable energy, transportation, environmental, housing,jobs and economic challenges we face today. Centralising power ( at the Comminwealth or state levels) and/or constantly reforming local governments and planning systems has done little if anything to address the serious intergenerational inequities now experienced in Australian cities and regions. Thank you!