Housing supply: news

On 18 April 2013, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs opened a call for applications for 1,000 incentives under the National Rental Affordability Scheme. This call for applications is for projects that are ‘shovel ready’ or ready to go, including those with secured finance, land and development approvals. The round will close on May 22. Read more from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

On 28 March 2013, the Commonwealth Government made an announcement regarding the expansion of affordable rental housing supply under the National Rental Affordability Scheme. A Round 5 comprised of 10,000 incentives are to be made available (this round is to open on May 7 and close on August 6). Also, a round of 1,000 unallocated incentives are to be put back on the market (this round is to open on April 18 and close on May 22). Read the communiqué of 28 March 2013 meeting of the COAG Select Council on Housing and Homelessness.

In a report released on 1 March 2013, the National Housing Supply Council has highlighted the impact of the shortage of low-cost housing on the more vulnerable in our population: households that are dependent on government incomes, households living at the lower end of the private rental market, and would-be homepurchasers with low and insecure incomes. The council stated:

A sustained shortfall in housing production relative to population growth (the main component of additional underlying demand) ‘trickles down’ through the distribution of income and wealth. It affects most the people who lose in the competition for available properties. These people may end up renting when they expected to become home owners, not forming a separate household because they cannot find anywhere suitable to live, needing government subsidies to obtain housing, pushing others — or being pushed — out of the private rental market and into social housing, living in unsuitable housing or overcrowded conditions, or becoming literally homeless. If the level of underproduction is substantial, it affects progressively more people who are relatively affluent. If underproduction varies across cities or States, then more ‘footloose’ economic activity, jobs and people will move from areas of deficit to areas where housing and workforce opportunities are in better supply. (page 127)

Read the report, Housing supply and affordability issues 2012–13.

On 5 January 2013, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs released a report by KPMG reviewing the Social Housing Initiative of the Nation-Building Economic Stimulus Plan. The report, dated September 2012, found that the initiative delivered economic benefits to the social housing sector as well as to the wider Australian economy, that the number of dwellings to be delivered exceeded targets by approximately 13 per cent and that it provided dwellings for approximately 8,400 homeless people. Read the report.

On 7 December 2012, the Council of Australian Governments released a revised National Affordable Housing Agreement, which includes provisional performance benchmarks. Read the revised agreement.