The Centre for Equitable Housing’s response to the Department of Social Services’ National Housing and Homelessness Plan Issues Paper in October 2023 called for a legislated Plan which sets out an “unambiguous, rights-based approach to housing” and “[centralises] the right to a secure, safe, comfortable and affordable home”.[1]
That submission endorsed the 2023 proposal by Chris Martin et al. that the Federal Government take a “mission-oriented” approach to housing policy. Setting a bold, clear and long-term societal mission, in which governments take an active role in shaping markets to achieve societal goals, is necessary to achieve the transformative change needed to ensure all Australians are securely, comfortably and affordably housed.
In January 2024, the Department of Social Services released a Summary Report detailing consultations on the National Housing and Homelessness Plan. The 13-page report reports on commonly raised challenges and solutions in the fields of homelessness and homelessness services, social housing, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing, housing markets, planning, zoning and development and the impact of climate change.[2]
Several recommendations commonly cited within submissions to the Issues Paper were not included in the Summary Report. Legislating the Plan’s key objectives was recommended in some capacity by numerous submitters, as was setting a 10-year target for the elimination of homelessness, but neither recommendation was adopted by the Summary Report. The impact of the negative gearing income tax deductions and the Capital Gains Tax Discount in driving housing investor behaviour were also not mentioned within the Summary Report.
Such omissions led many stakeholders, including the CEH, to question whether the Plan was being developed in a way that facilitated system-wide, long-lasting housing reform.
Per Capita was one of 117 signatories to an open letter written to the Housing Minister in May 2024 in support of the proposal to legislate a statutory basis to the National Housing and Homelessness Plan.
This submission details our response to the National Housing and Homelessness Plan Bill 2024 (No.2)
The CEH recommends that the National Housing and Homelessness Bill 2024 (No. 2) be passed. This legislation would enhance government accountability within housing and homelessness policy and would help ensure the Plan is a long-term, rather than momentary, endeavour. The Bill also seeks to enshrine the human right to housing within legislation, a significant recognition of Australia’s obligations under international law.
[1] Centre for Equitable Housing, The National Housing and Homelessness Plan: A Historic Opportunity Not to Be Missed (October 2023) <https://centreforequitablehousing.org.au/our_work/the-national-housing-and-homelessness-plan-a-historic-opportunity-not-to-be-missed/>.
[2] Department of Social Services, Summary Report: Consultations on the National Housing and Homelessness Plan (January 2024) <https://engage.dss.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/nhhpsummary-reportfinal-4_0.pdf>.
