New initiatives on housing and social inclusion

1
New initiatives on housing and social inclusion

• Craig Johnston, Shelter NSW
• Presentation to Western Sydney Community Forum
  workshop, Affordable housing and social
  inclusion, Parramatta, 18 August 2008

2
Commonwealth government

• Specific housing initiatives
• Social inclusion agenda
• Fiscal federalism
• Pension review
• Review of states land-use regulation

3
Housing initiatives

• Affordability
• Affordable housing
• Homelessness
• Indigenous housing
• National Affordable Housing Agreement

4
Housing initiatives - affordability

• National Housing Supply Research Council
• Report on state of supply of land and dwellings
• Chair Owen Donald
• Housing Affordability Fund
• Offset local government charges for urban
  infrastructure
• First Home Savers Accounts
• A superannuation-style, low-tax savings account
  to help first homebuyers save a deposit for
  home-purchase
• Launches October 1

5
Housing initiatives affordable housing

• National Rental Affordability Scheme
• Tax credits or grants for proposals for new
  affordable rental housing
• Worth 6000 per dwelling for each of 10 years
• Conditions apply, incl. income-eligibility of
  tenants, rent-setting policy
• Matching state government contribution of 2000
  pd x 10 yrs
• More conditions apply, i.e. state priorities
• Aim to add 50,000 dwellings to affordable rental

6
Housing initiatives - homelessness

• A place to call home program
• 600 new dwellings for homeless
• NSW 155
• Resident will not have to vacate after expiry of
  support period
• Homelessness white paper
• Nearly 600 submissions on green paper

7
Housing initiatives Indigenous housing

• Closing the gap and Aboriginal Remote
  Indigenous Accommodation (CHIP)
• Settlements in remote and rural areas, esp. NT
  and WA
• ARIA a National Partnership payment
• Aboriginal Rental Housing Program
• To be continued/absorbed into NAHA

8
Housing initiatives NAHA

• Specific purpose payment arrangement
• Worth some 1194 m (09-10) in Cwlth subsidies to
  states housing assistance programs
• Social housing, crisis accommodation dwellings,
  home purchase assistance (not FHOG), private
  rental assistance (e.g. Rentstart)
• CSHA plus SAAP
• Timeframe
• October COAG to consider draft agreements
• December COAG to finalize funding arrangements
• January 2009 - starts
• Plus 2 National Partnership payments
• ARIA, A place to call home
• ? Homelessness white paper
• ? Other Cwlth programs
• ? State programs

9
Social inclusion agenda

• Social inclusion
• Secure a job
• Access services
• Connect with family, friends, work, personal
  interests, local community
• Deal with personal crisis
• Have your voice heard
• our social inclusion initiatives will not be
  about welfare they will be an investment
  strategy to join social policy to economic policy
  to the benefit of both (Gillard)

10
Social inclusion agenda (2)

• Assess core government programs for their impact
  on social inclusion
• Maximize employment
• Develop specific social inclusion programs
• A place to call home program
• NRAS
• Adopt new governmental structures (incl. targets,
  benchmarks, measurement)
• Australian Social Inclusion Board (chair
  Patricia Faulkner)

11
Fiscal federalism

• Financial arrangements with states
• Rationalization of specific purpose payments
• Focus on outcomes
• January 2009
• National Partnership payments
• Taxation review
• Federal taxes (not GST)
• State taxes, e.g. property taxes
• Background paper August 6
• Consultation process not yet announced

12
Pension review

• Levels of pensions and allowances
• Concessions
• Process
• Background paper, August 11
• Submissions due September 26
• Report by 29 February 2009

13
Review of land-use regulation

• Local government and planning ministers council,
  August 13
• National approach to expanding complying
  development, performance monitoring, and
  e-planning
• Possible national principles for development
  assessment

14
NSW government - State plan

• A target of 640,000 new dwellings in greater
  metropolitan region over next 25 years to 2031
• 445,000 in existing urban areas
• 195,000 in greenfield locations
• Existing commitments
• Partnership against Homelessness
• Reshaping public housing and redeveloping
  public housing estates
• Under consideration
• Expanding the role of community housing
• New partnership arrangements with Cwlth

15
NSW - other

• Participation in NRAS
• 2000 pd pa 10 years, cap of 3000 dwellings,
  limited to establishment phase priority to CHP
  (pref growth providers) NRAS B
• 40 project costs, cap of 18.5m, limited to
  establishment phase restricted to CHP (pref
  growth providers) NRAS A
• NSW homelessness strategic framework
• Prevention and early intervention
• Assessment and crisis response
• Long-term accommodation and community support

16
NSW other (2)

• Taxation review by the IPART
• Increase reliance on property taxes
• Reduce reliance on purchaser transfer duty
• Costa abolish purchaser transfer duty if
  compensated by Cwlth
• EPA Amendment Act 2008
• Local government inclusionary zoning schemes
  (s116Y) prohibited from state contribution
  areas (growth centers)
• Local government voluntary planning agreements
  for affordable housing with developers only with
  ministers consent (s116V)
• Review of SEPP 10 and SEPP 70

17
NSW Sydney planning strategy

• Sydney
• 445,000 extra dwellings by 2031
• a 29 increase
• Western Sydney
• 205,309 extra dwellings by 2031
• a 33 increase
• share of Sydneys dwellings up from 38 to 40
• Growth Centres Commission

18
NSW Sydney subregional plans

• West central (A, B, F, H, P)
• 42 increase in dwellings by 2031, to 324,000
• Comparatively medium-high house prices stress
• North west (H, BH, B, BM, P)
• 55 increase in dwellings by 2031, to 391,000
• North west growth center 60,000 additional
• South west (C, C, L, W)
• 120 increase in dwellings by 2031, to 284,000
• South west growth center 100,000 additional