Ensuring everyone has a safe and stable home

In the past two years, we were asked to stay at home to protect the health of our community. For many of us, it was a stark reminder that our homes are a source of safety and stability. But you can’t stay at home if you don’t have one or it is not safe.

More and more people are being forced into homelessness and financial hardship due to soaring rent prices and a lack of social housing. And regional areas are carrying the brunt of rising rents and skyrocketing house prices.

Building more social and affordable housing is the only way to ensure ongoing stability and prosperity for all Australians. That’s why we’re calling on all parties and candidates to commit to building at least 25,000 social and affordable housing properties each year.

Our key asks

  • A 25,000 dwelling per year social and affordable housing package should be delivered to reduce homelessness and kick-start housing construction and growth in jobs and incomes.
  • Rent Assistance for private tenants with low incomes should be substantially increased to ease housing stress.
  • A new affordable rental investment incentive scheme should be developed
  • A national First Nations housing strategy to boost the stock of community housing and new remote housing agreement.
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Boost social housing investment 

There is a national shortage of over 400,000 homes that are affordable for people who are homeless or living on the lowest incomes (the lowest 20% by household income) and 155,000 households currently on the social housing waiting list. Direct public investment in social housing is a cost-effective way to boost growth in jobs and incomes.

Lift Commonwealth Rent Assistance 

Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) provides crucial assistance to tenants with low incomes in private housing, but it has failed to keep pace with steep increases in rents. The maximum rate should be increased by 50% to relieve rental stress for people on low incomes in the private rental market.

Create a new affordable rental investment incentive 

A new rental investment incentive scheme is needed to replace the discontinued National Rental Affordability Scheme and complement the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation, Bond Aggregator, and Housing Infrastructure Facility. Its purpose should be to bridge the finance gap for potential investors in housing for rent below market rates for people with low incomes (eligible for social housing assistance) or modest incomes (eligible for ‘affordable housing’ assistance).

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