Housing Minister Julie Collins has announced that legislation to establish a permanent statutory body, the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, will commence in late December, with the council to be appointed shortly after.
The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council will give independent, evidence-based expert advice on matters that materially affect the supply and affordability of Australia’s housing.
An interim council was set up on Jan. 1, and was already providing the government with expert advice to help with its housing agenda, including the interim council’s first report on how Australians can overcome barriers to institutional investment, finance, and innovation in housing.
The announcement follows the recent passage of the government’s housing legislative package, which according to Collins, “didn’t just help to make the council a permanent body, it also enshrines the independence of the council.”
“This will mean the council provides full and frank advice on the issues across the housing spectrum,” the minister said in an address to the National Housing Conference, Brisbane. “Our government is very serious about addressing Australia’s housing challenges and I know this new permanent, independent body will be critical to this work.”
Collins said that creating the new institution showed that the government was “set about doing things differently” to address the housing crisis and “serious about ensuring that the country’s housing agenda is underpinned by expert advice.”
She cited a recent Intergenerational Report which found that homeownership for Australians aged between 30 and 24 years fell 18 percentage points from 1981 to 2021. The census also showed that an estimated 122,000 people were homeless. And 46.7% of low-income earners who rent spend more than 30% of their weekly income on housing costs.
Collins said she will be working closely with the council to deliver the National Housing and Homelessness Plan.
Earlier this year, the government launched the consultation on the new plan, which was designed to identify the short-, medium- and long-term steps that can be taken to help address housing issues in Australia.
“My goal is for the plan to provide a better understanding of the current state of housing and homelessness in Australia,” Collins said. “It will look at the drivers of homelessness and housing insecurity throughout urban, regional, rural, and remote Australia. It will also look at housing supply and homeownership.
“And most importantly, my ambition is for the plan to set out a clearer strategy for how all levels of government can work together, and with the private and community sector, to better support people facing housing challenges.”
She strongly encouraged everyone to provide feedback to the issues paper to help the government understand areas of focus for inclusion in the plan.
“It is with the insights and opinions of experts, industry leaders, state and territory governments, and those on the front line that together we can deliver a well-informed plan,” Collins said. “So, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to visit the DSS website and contribute your views using the issues paper as a guide.”
Responses to the issues paper close on Oct. 20, 11.59pm AEST.
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