national AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDERS LTD.
our objective is to represent the collective interests of AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDERS throughout Australia.
About National Affordable Housing Providers Ltd.
National Affordable Housing Providers Limited (NAHPL) is a representative body, whose objective is to represent the collective interests of NRAS Approved Applicants. The intention of the representative body is to provide a collaborative voice for Approved Applicants in communications for and on behalf of members. Below are some of the activities that we undertake as a group on behalf of our members
- Lobby the Federal Government on proposed changed and upcoming initiatives.
- Seek clarity from the Federal Government on current NRAS legislation.
- Media Releases.
- Compliance Information and Fact Sheets.
Latest NRAS and Affordable Housing News
4 APRIL 2018 -- Why Richard Di Natale's 'people's bank' could make housing affordability worse (opinion)
Australian Financial Review Richard Di Natale's people's bank - no doubt at risk of becoming reality given the previous examples of once-fringe Green proposals being adopted by the major parties - is a woolly-headed solution in search of a problem. If the link above is unavailable, the article can be accessed below 
4 APRIL 2018 -- Private rental in transition: institutional change, technology and innovation in Australia (report)
AHURI This research is a comprehensive analysis of the private rental sector (PRS) and explores the interplay between regulation, organisations and structures, and social norms and practices of prevailing policies. It also explores the impact of innovation and digital technology on the sector. This research reviewed government, academic and grey literature on the PRS, in particularthe ABS Census of Population and Housing, the ABS Survey of Income and Housing and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Forty-two interviews were conducted with people involved in all aspects of the PRS, from financing, provision/development, access and management. 2 APRIL 2018 -- Developers should pay for low cost housing, says charity
Redland City Bulletin St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland chief executive Peter Maher said one strategy to address the issue was for urban development to support the less fortunate through low-cost housing. “I think regulations need to be put in place that require developers to help provide solutions to the homeless issue,” Mr Maher said. 1 APRIL 2018 -- The government's presumption about our housing needs (opinion)
The Canberra Times The ACT government's housing choices discussion paper released late last year set out an agenda to change the built form and plan of Canberra. It focuses on achieving a more compact city, with a different mix of housing provisions to address what is claimed to be a lack of housing options for residential development. If the aim of the Housing Choices discussion paper really is, as it states, to "understand the community's current, future and ideal dwelling choices ... to ensure future preferences are catered for in the residential market", then the government needs to do better. 31 MARCH 2018 -- A sustainable city like Canberra needs more sustainable housing (opinion)
Sydney Morning Herald Canberra needs housing that everyone can afford; housing that is close to shops, work and schools so we don't spend hours commuting; and housing that leaves space for trees and the other vegetation that makes Canberra the bush capital. We need housing that doesn't cost the earth (literally and financially) to build and then run with heating and cooling costs. 27 MARCH 2018 -- Market rents for social housing in planned overhaul of system
The Australian Social housing tenants would be made to pay market rents under an overhaul of the low-income housing system that would see $1.2 billion added to commonwealth rent assistance, with states on the hook to fund additional subsidies for people living in areas with acute affordability problems. The plan, recommended by the Productivity Commission in its final report on human services, would remove a stunning inequity in the system that gives more relief to some people than others, even in the same circumstances, based on the type of housing group they call home. This article is available at the link below
26 MARCH 2018 -- Productivity Commission Introducing competition and informed user choice into human services: Reforms to human services-inquiry report
Australian Policy Online While this may not sound like it has anything to do with housing, there is a big chapter devoted to introducing contestability into the social housing sector and charging market rents (see news article above) A summary of the report and links to the full report and overview are available at the above link. 25 MARCH 2018 --John Alexander on why Australia's housing market risks 'grotesque' inequality
The Guardian “You’ve got this insane situation in the United States where the top 2% of people own more than [the bottom] 90% in terms of wealth,” Alexander told Guardian Australia. (It’s even worse than that – the top 1% has the bottom 90% more than covered). “To an Australian that is grotesque, and if we’re not careful we’ll have their society’s wealth inequality. And I don’t think anybody – except somebody who aspires to be king – wants that. It’s not my cup of tea.” 25 MARCH 2018 -- Inclusionary zoning: Social housing in Brisbane developments could be the 'norm':, Mirvac says
Domain Leading Australian developer Mirvac says placing affordable housing in new developments would make a positive impact on Brisbane, under a practice called inclusionary zoning. Mr Penklis said reserving affordable apartments for particular income bands went a long way to ensuring workers could stay within the inner city instead of being left on the city fringes. 24 MARCH 2018 -- How to solve our housing crisis (opinion)
Pearls and Irritations As well as dealing with the government policies it’s essential to establish a National Housing Corporation (NHC) to ensure first-home buyers have access to affordable, quality housing in well- planned urban environments. The NHC should have statutory requirements on architecture and urban-planning plus prioritising proximity to employment opportunities and public transport. Redeveloping depressed urban areas with quality, affordable housing should be one objective in cooperation with the respective State Government. Only such an entity would have the objective, means and authority to achieve these ends. 23 MARCH 2018 -- Fixing broken housing system (opinion)
The Herald Housing is a fundamental human right. It is crucial for so many other parts of our lives, including our physical and mental health. Australian kids should not be living in shelters. People shouldn’t be undergoing cancer treatment while living in a car. You’re much better able to focus on studying, working or finding a job if you have a roof over your head. Given the fundamental importance of housing it beggars belief that there is no national plan for housing and no federal Minister for Housing. Tell your local MP it is time for action, not reports or isolated election pledges. Written by Greg Budworth, Compass Housing Managing Director and a NAHP member 22 MARCH 2018 -- Housing: New Reapolitik needs a new economics (opinion)
Pearls and Irritations Managing the pressured housing markets of cities such as Sydney and Melbourne poses a major challenge to governments at both state and Federal levels. As has become increasingly clear, such trajectories are wreaking serious damage for younger aspiring homebuyers and for broad swathes of the lower income population. As yet less well-recognised, however, is the wider hit to urban productivity that results from poorly functioning housing systems. Smarter policymaking is eminently possible in this area but will require that Ministers and their advisers resist the lure of simplistic ‘blame the planners’ analyses and adopt cleverer and better-informed approaches to the problem. 21 MARCH 2018 -- Mum and dad investors go for affordable housing
Australian Financial Review The private mum-and-dad sector has dipped its toes into affordable housing development in Sydney, through a fund set up by private financier Development Finance Partners. DFP has raised two tranches of equity totalling $1.1 million through the fund to support the development of an eight-dwelling project in Miranda in Sydney's south, with two of those dwellings allocated for affordable housing. Affordable housing are homes rented to those with lower annual wages and are different to social housing. If the link above is unavailable, the article can be accessed below
21 MARCH 2018 -- Governments need to do more about housing (opinion)
Sunraysia Daily Federal and state governments are failing the test of providing secure, affordable housing with two in three Australians saying all political parties must do more to address housing affordability. Key points from the poll: ● 62 per cent of Australians think the Federal Government is not doing enough about housing affordability. ● 60 per cent think the Opposition needs to do more. ● 49 per cent of Coalition voters believe the Federal Government is not doing enough. ● 57 per cent of Labor voters believe the Opposition should do more 21 MARCH 2018 -- Will re calibrating the tax system fix Australian housing?
Your Mortgage An alliance of housing bodies in Australia has unveiled a national housing plan to rehabilitate the country's housing system, believed to be riddled with inefficient policies and misdirected government action. According to a report for the Domain Group, the Council to Homeless Persons said tax reforms are needed in order to fund new social and affordable housing, as well as to lobby for a stronger policy to protect renters. 20 MARCH 2018 -- Divided house: housing affordability will worsen without action
Sydney Morning Herald Housing affordability will worsen unless governments make policy changes to help younger people and those on lower wages to get into the property market, experts say. 20 MARCH 2018 -- NFP's join forces to call for government action on housing affordability
Pro Bono The Everybody’s Home campaign was launched at the National Press Club on Tuesday, supported by a range of not for profits including the Salvation Army, Mission Australia, the “Making sure everyone has a home is a top order priority for Australians but it is not matched by action from our political leaders. That needs to change,” Colvin said. 20 MARCH 2018 -- US inspires $1 million grant for community housing providers
Pro Bono The Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation (LMCF) launched the Affordable Housing Challenge earlier this month, to help tackle homelessness and increase the supply of affordable housing in Melbourne. The challenge calls on community housing providers to partner with developers to build affordable housing of up to 50 units for low to moderate income households, available for both singles and families in need. 19 MARCH 2018 -- Hosuing affordability worries shaping retirement plans
Investment Magazine A new survey indicates public support may be growing for Labor’s plans to reform negative gearing rules, even among property investors, as Australians grow increasingly wary of how worsening housing affordability will hurt their children. The findings of the survey show that 35 per cent of 250 property investors surveyed would support reforms to negative gearing. The level of support from property investors for negative gearing reforms was even higher – 45 per cent – among those with children. A copy of the report, Home Truths: negative gearing and retirement research 2018 can be accessed here. Related article Housing affordability concern fueling support for negative gearing change, new research finds nestegg.com.au Widespread concern over affordable housing has led to a surprising level of support from a majority of non-property investors for changes to negative gearing, new research has found. The research, on attitudes to property investment and saving for retirement, revealed that four out of five of those surveyed were concerned that rising housing prices are locking young people out of the property market, and that, even among property investors, there is some support to modify negative gearing. 16 MARCH 2018--Housing affordability fueling negative gearing backlash
Financial Standard The majority of non-property investors support the modification of negative gearing policy as fears over housing affordability grow. New research from the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) shows 55% of non-property investors would support changes to negative gearing, as would one-third of property investors, even if it meant house prices would drop. 16 MARCH 2018 -- Housing affordability is more than a supply-demand issue, say academics
Australian Broker A group of academics from Australia’s top universities believe the country’s housing affordability problem has become “so entrenched” because current policy conversations are rooted in flawed analysis. Australia’s new housing supply per person is actually “very strong” by international standards – new units and apartments have been flowing job-rich metropolitan areas over the past decade. “According to the cliché, this supply response should have cooled prices. Yet dwelling price inflation has surged even in metropolitan areas where new housing supply has exceeded population growth,” they added. 16 MARCH 2018 -- Sydney's key workers forced to leave
news.com.au KEY workers — such as teachers, nurses, ambulance and fire officers and the police — perform essential services. Across Sydney some 156,000 workers are employed in these occupations, equating to some 6 per cent of the workforce. However, high property prices and high rents are placing barriers to their home ownership which were not experienced by previous generations. There is now a serious mismatch between where key workers live and work, according to an important report prepared by Sydney University researchers for the Teachers Mutual Bank, Firefighters Mutual Bank, Police Bank and My Credit Union. 15 MARCH 2018 -- Cliches fuel our failure to achieve affordable housing (opinion)
UNSW Australia has a housing affordability problem. There’s no doubt about that. Unfortunately, one of the reasons the problem has become so entrenched is that the policy conversation appears increasingly confused. It’s time to debunk some policy clichés that keep re-emerging. 15 MARCH 2018 -- Who is to blame for the housing crisis and how to fix it (opinion)
Ross Gittins-Pearls and Irritations There aren’t many material aspirations Australians hold dearer than owning their own home – but dear is the word. There are few greater areas of policy failure. The rate of home ownership, of which we were once so proud, has been falling slowly for decades. And as the last high home-owning generations start popping off, it will fall much faster. 13 MARCH 2018--Investec wants to build on Adelaide experience to develop housing in NSW
Australian Financial Review Investec Australia wants to use the experience of its recently completed rent-to-buy affordable housing project in Adelaide to get into the burgeoning NSW $22 billion social housing building program. "A lot of affordable housing is provided as a small component of developer stock," said Nils Miller of Investec Australia's infrastructure finance and investment team. "But where government can work with counterparties such as us… we think more effective funding structures and institutional investors can enter the market and invest into these sorts of projects." If the link above is unavailable, the article can be accessed below
10 MARCH 2018 -- Would you live in a Blade Runner city for much cheaper housing?
news.com.au Everybody complains about high housing prices these days. But would you live in a concrete jungle if it meant you could get a much cheaper home? That’s the question Australia’s Reserve Bank is asking. It put out a report this week on how Australia’s housing market would look in the theoretical world where there were no zoning controls. It finds zoning rules — things like minimum block sizes and height limits — have raised Sydney house prices by 73 per cent. The question is whether having zoning rules that bring us high prices is worth it. The high cost of housing is a real burden on a human life. Two working parents slave away for years to pay off a mortgage, spending time away from their kids, getting stressed and unhappy at work. Do we really get more benefit from a heritage facade and a front yard than we would from 15 years less mortgage? 9 MARCH 2018 -- Reserve Bank puts a price tag on NIMBYism
Crikey Reserve Bank research shows just how much zoning decisions can add to the cost of housing -- to the benefit of NIMBY residents who enjoy huge property price gains as a result. This article can be accessed below. A copy of the report 'The effect of zoning on housing prices' an be accessed here.
9 MARCH 2018 -- RBA: Australia'shousing planning system hopelessly broken
Macrobussiness The RBA has released a research paper assessing the impact of restrictive zoning rules on Australian house prices, estimating that they represent a punitive tax on home buyers, especially in Sydney and Melbourne. 8 MARCH 2018 -- The income tax treatment of housing assets: an assessment of proposed reform arrangements (report)
AHURI This research models several politically acceptable pathways to reform negative gearing and CGT so as to reduce impacts on less sophisticated property investors. Two reform models— a rental deduction cap of $5,000 and a progressive rental deduction based on income—could lead to savings of over $1.7 billion each. Both are progressive in nature, reducing tax savings from negative gearing as tax assessable income increases. 8 MARCH 2018 -- More government support needed for affordable housing development
Your Mortgage While banks and wealthy individuals have injected billions of dollars in affordable housing, more government assistance is needed to encourage more social impact investments (SIIs), according to a recent study from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). Three of Australia’s largest banks, and some smaller regional and cooperative banks, have loaned as much as $1.5bn to community housing providers who assist low-income residents secure safe and affordable accommodation. Charitable organisations and philanthropic individuals have invested a further $20m, according to AHURI. While SIIs are “increasingly of interest in relation to homelessness and housing vulnerability, its application to affordable housing has not attracted the same kind of policy attention,” the study said. 7 MARCH 2018 -- Housing affordability dips in all states
Australian Broker Housing affordability declined across Australia in the December 2017 quarter, with the proportion of income required to meet loan repayments increasing to 31.6% – up from 30.3% the previous quarter. But with the index 0.1 percentage point lower than the same quarter of December 2016, this means housing affordability was virtually unchanged over that period, says the latest Adelaide Bank/Real Estate Institute of Australia Housing Affordability Report. 7 MARCH 2018 -- Retain West End's character by turning new units into affordable housing: town planner
Domain A prominent Brisbane town planner has suggested turning units in some of West End’s new developments into state-owned low-cost housing in an effort to reduce supply and alleviate community concerns. Associate professor of town planning at QUT Phil Heywood said the weak market would lead to lower-than-expected profits for developers, and suggested the market conditions provided opportunity for units to be snapped up for low prices by affordable housing providers. 7 MARCH 2018 -- Canberra's affordable housing targets "so small it's insignificant": expert
The Canberra Times A housing affordability expert has branded the ACT government's affordable housing targets as "so small they're almost insignificant", suggesting the government's control of land supply means it should be doing more. Prof Phibbs said that given the small size of the ACT's housing market compared to other states, and the government's virtual monopoly on land release, "it strikes me that the government isn't really doing the job" when it came to addressing housing affordability. 7 MARCH 2018 -- It's time to build houses, not units (editorial)
The Canberra Times The dramatic slump in building approvals for new units in the January quarter was as inevitable as it was overdue. It may well suggest a slowing of the frenzy of apartment building which has seen units account for 80 per cent of all new housing approvals in the Territory in recent years. The median price for units has lagged well behind that of free-standing homes. 6 MARCH 2018 -- Sydney property prices not affected by new stock, parliamentary inquiry told
ABC online A massive boost to Sydney's housing supply has barely had an impact on sky-high prices, a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has heard. Shelter NSW's principal policy officer Adam Farrar told the Upper House inquiry that while supply has been boosted, it had not been enough to "turn around the Titanic". "We've seen record delivery of housing in NSW, [the Government has] done an excellent job on that front," he said. "But it hasn't done it in a way that's made any impact on affordability." Related article --Construction of new housing is not making a huge difference to housing prices news.com.au Building more housing was supposed to be the great big fix for our overheated property market but it’s not been as effective as expected — and there’s one important reason why. 5 MARCH 2018-- How the rich weaponised NIMBYism to wage class war
Crikey The Grattan Institute report on housing released today illustrates how, when it comes to housing, Australia’s middle- and higher-income earners have successfully waged economic war on the young and low-income earners over the last 40 years. The success is clear from some compelling data in the report: ownership of housing by 25- to 34-year-olds has fallen from over 60% in 1981 to 45% in 2016. And ownership among the lowest 20% of income earners has fallen from between 60-70% for all groups under 55 to below 50% — and to just above 20% for 25- to 34-year-old low-income earners. The article can be accessed below
4 MARCH 2018 -- Triple whammy of rates, house prices and stamp duty not what we were promised (opinion)
The Canberra Times The combined land supply target for the 2017-18 year is 4120 dwelling sites of which 692 will be detached housing blocks. This represents 16.8 per cent of the total land supply in the form of detached blocks. The statements are silent on the demand for this product, however, research conducted on behalf of government provides a clear indication of what the community wants. The Housing Choices Community Survey done by Winton Sustainable Research Strategies in 2014 showed that 91 per cent of Canberrans proposing to move want to move to a house on a detached block. 4 MARCH 2018 -- Housing affordability: re-imagining the Australian dream (Grattan Institute)
Australian Policy Online Within living memory, Australia was a place where housing costs were manageable, and people of all ages and incomes had a reasonable chance to own a home with good access to jobs. But home-ownership rates are falling among all Australians younger than 65, especially those with lower incomes. Owning a home increasingly depends on who your parents are, a big change from 35 years ago when home-ownership rates were high for all levels of income. Those on low incomes – increasingly renters – are spending more of their income on housing. 28 FEBRUARY 2018 -- 'Horror rules': Mayor demands review of affordable housing amid concerns about boarding houses
Sydney Morning Herald A developer proposes to address a lack of affordable housing by constructing a two-storey building with 35 rooms for lodgers, each fully furnished and equipped with a kitchen and bathroom facilities. But Peter Polgar said the "new generation" boarding house proposed for a residential street in Allambie Heights, as well as others planned for Sydney’s Northern Beaches, will destroy the close community and village environment. 28 FEBRUARY 2018 -- The Barr Government's land profit targets are short-sighted
The Canberra Times It now seems impossible for the Barr Government to deny it is manipulating Territory land prices to achieve high returns at the expense of its own citizens. Chief Minister Andrew Barr has given profit targets in directions to the newly formed City Renewal Authority and the Suburban Land Authority for the next three years last week. These have included some truly mind blowing profit targets for the period to 2021. 28 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Labor steps back slush fund claims
SBS News Labor has conceded a housing infrastructure fund its MPs once labelled a $1 billion slush fund for the coalition is unlikely to be one. Party stalwarts accused the coalition of squirrelling away money earmarked for the proposed National Housing Infrastructure Facility into a slush fund when it was announced last year. 28 FEBRUARY 2018 -- One man's vision for an affordable housing development
Echo Daily A 100-acre lot could accommodate approximately 300 homes and 500 people, says planner John Sparks, which is ‘half the normal low density of six houses per acre.‘ It is also designed to be sustainable with energy, water, waste and food 23 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Building more homes will help low income earners (opinion)
Macrobusiness The conventional wisdom among many affordable housing advocates is that boosting the supply of market-rent housing won’t help low-income earners. They argue that most new housing built in Australia is too expensive for low- and middle-income earners. They believe that building more homes won’t lower the rents paid by the poorest Australians unless they’re explicitly built to house them. This conventional wisdom is wrong. Recent Australian research claiming that most new housing built in Australia is targeted at the top end of the market is flawed because it groups price deciles by the number of Local Government Areas, rather than by the number of dwellings. And claims that more housing doesn’t help low-income earners are at odds with international literature showing that market-rent housing remains the largest source of affordable housing for low-income earners. 22 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Government indecision a risk to social housing
Government News Australia’s banks have invested around $1.5 billion in social and community housing providers, but new research reveals there are significant barriers to expanding these ‘social impact’ investments. The report, ‘Understanding opportunities for social impact investment in the development of affordable housing’, was undertaken by researchers from RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. It was commissioned by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). (see posting below) The report says uncertainty and change in government policy as a key source of risk affecting social impact investments. It says that private investors expect returns on their investment, but that this can occur only when community housing providers are able to generate a positive cash flow to repay their debts. 21 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Will social impact investing supply affordable housing in Australia? (report summary)
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) This research is the first to examine the opportunities for, barriers to and risks to social impact investment (SII) for social and affordable housing in Australia. SII aims to achieve a specific beneficial social objective together with a financial return, and measure the achievement of both. Through collaboration between service providers, investors and governments, SII can untap new sources of capital (through accessing different types of investors) and enhance the return on government investment. The full report, Understanding opportunities for social impact investment in the development of affordable housing can be accessed here 20 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Affordable housing falling short due to lack of funds
Architecture and Design Affordable housing projects are being shaped by constrained funding rather than actual needs, according to a new report by UNSW researchers. Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) City Futures Research Centre developed the ‘Affordable Housing Assessment Tool’ (AHAT) to determine how affordable housing project costs, revenues and subsidies impacted affordability for a range of lower income households in need of affordable housing. 19 FEBRUARY 2018 -- NSW Government unveils high-powered commission to tackle housing affordability
nine.com.au The NSW Government is to establish a state-level productivity commission which they say will remove bureaucratic red tape and address the state's worsening housing affordability crisis. Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced the move in the NSW Business Chamber today, saying the commission will tempt more people to do business in NSW. 18 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Growth, infrastructure and town planning: cementing a sustainable future (opinion)
Independent Australia Amidst pressing concerns for housing affordability, population growth and social inequality, Michael Bayliss reveals how good (or bad) town planning underpins it all. 17 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Why would someone rent out their property at less than market value?
The New Daily Using the not-for-profit real estate agency HomeGround, landlords are renting out properties at sub-market prices. Businessman Phil Endersbee was one of the first to see the benefit of property philanthropy and use the agency. He said while it was asking landlords to forgo only about $30 in rent a week, it could be hard to convince people. 17 FEBRUARY 2018 -- ACT's unique opportunity to improve housing affordability (commentary)
Sydney Morning Herald My research, funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, an independent national research body, investigated state and territory housing affordability strategies and examined two of the most successful plans in detail. These were the 2007 ACT housing action plan and the 2010 West Australian affordable housing strategy. 16 FEBRUARY 2018 -- FHB grants 'making housing less affordable', says ACT Chief Minister
The Adviser The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory has called for the abolition of stamp duty for first home buyers and first home owner grants to improve housing affordability. Speaking to the committee for economic development of Australia in Canberra, Mr Barr said: “Every economist in the country agrees that stamp duty is an inefficient tax, and one that puts another hurdle in front of first home buyers by forcing them to either borrow or save tens of thousands of dollars on top of the cost of housing. 16 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Life on the outer: Why housing estates fail residents
The New Daily According to the experts, it’s all too easy to be seduced by the apparently cheap house and land packages offered on the fringes of Australia’s major cities. But what is it really like to live there and what responsibility do the big developers have to create liveability? “We do housing development in this country very badly,” says Professor Michael Buxton, Professor of Environment and Planning at Melbourne’s RMIT. 14 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Land prices hit record high amid supply shortfall across the country
news.com.au THE cost of residential land lots in Australia has hit a record, pushing prices in some regions of Queensland to the highest in the country. The latest HIA-CoreLogic Residential Land Report, out today, found that the median vacant residential land lot price hit an all-time high in the September 2017 quarter to $267,368. It was a massive 10.9 per cent jump on the same period in 2016. 14 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Affordable housing projects across Australia stifiled by patchwork funding: AHURI Domain Affordable housing across Australia could be rolled out much quicker and on a larger scale if organisations weren’t reliant on a hodgepodge of various limited funding opportunities, new research shows. An analysis of six recently-completed affordable housing projects by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) revealed developments are being driven by “patched together” funding methods rather than being based on actual housing needs. The report can be access on the AHURI site here. This is AHURI's description of the report: This study analysed recently completed affordable housing developments across Australia to ascertain how affordable housing project costs, revenues and subsidies interact. The research reveals the diverse funding arrangements adopted by providers, which have resulted in affordable housing project outcomes being driven by funding opportunities rather than by defined housing needs, and identified six key lessons about financing affordable housing. Related articles --More housing affordability non-solutions emerge (opinion) Macrobusiness None of these ‘solution’ are actually geared towards lowering the systemic cost of housing across Sydney, which is the fundamental issue. Rather, they are piecemeal ‘solutions’ aimed at sucking sub-prime buyers into the market (in the case of shared equity), or moderately boosting affordability by cutting corners on quality (in the case of “innovations in design”). None addresses the root causes of Sydney’s land price escalation and associated affordability problems. --Six lessons on how to make affordable housing funding work across Australia (opinion) UNSW Media A suitable construction funding model is the critical missing ingredient needed to deliver more affordable housing in Australia. Aside from short-lived programs under the Rudd government, we have seen decades of inconsistent and fragmented policies loosely directed at increasing affordable housing. These have failed to generate anything like enough new supply to meet outstanding needs. 12 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Architecture was meant to solve the housing crisis, instead it betrayed us
ABC News De Graaf believes most architects still produce stylistically "modern" buildings, but it's a modern architecture devoid of its original intent, untethered from social responsibility and the dream of a decent standard of living and affordable housing for all. This architecture remains cheap, efficient and rational, but it's in the service of profits rather than people. 8 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Brisbane Housing Company on blending a commercial mind with a social heart
The Fifth Estate Taking the high road in terms of design and ensuring regular maintenance results in better outcomes for Brisbane Housing Company's tenants and for the organisation. One of the design goals is breaking the perceptions of social housing as being similar to the old Melbourne Olympic Village “toaster type product” or the neglected property with the “old Valiant up on blocks” in the front yard. 8 FEBRUARY 2018 -- 'It's bedlam':Tasmania's economic boom leads to housing shortage
ABC News Hobart now has the lowest capital city rental vacancy rate, at just 0.3 per cent. When 7.30 visited a humble one-bedroom unit that is up for rent, more than 40 people were queueing to inspect it. Real estate agent Cheryl Bennett said she has never seen demand like it. 8 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Does Canberra have a rental crisis? (opinion)
The Riot ACT We need to get serious about our housing affordability problem – particularly our lack of affordable rental properties in this town. If we can get this right, everyone will win. Individuals and families will be able to find homes that suit their needs and budget, there will be less pressure across the housing market and we should see us starting to address our homelessness problem as fewer people are forced into housing stress. 2 FEBRUARY 2018 -- The changing institutions of private renal housing: an international perspective
AHURI This study investigated the private rental sector policy settings and institutions relevant to Australia in 10 countries in Australasia, Europe and North America, with a detailed review of the sectors in Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom and United States. The research investigated the international experience of housing and impact of broader economic systems, financial settings, landlord and tenancy structures and regulation in the reference countries. 1 FEBRUARY 2018-Coalition accused of creating 'alternative facts' on negative gearing
The Guardian A former Treasury official has written a scathing critique of the Turnbull government’s attacks on Labor’s negative gearing policies, saying the government has been creating “alternative facts” to promote its own argument. Saul Eslake, who is also a former chief economist of Bank of America Merrill Lynch Australia, said Treasury’s advice to government, released under freedom of information in January, has revealed the extent to which the government and property industry have been willing to “peddle any lie” to ensure the survival of a tax system that privileges investors. To read all of Saul Eslake's critique, see the article below 1 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Saul Eslake: Defenders of housing status quo create 'alternative facts'
John Mendue-Perls and Irritations blog The release last month of (albeit heavily redacted) Treasury advice to the Turnbull Government on the likely effects of the policies the Labor Opposition took to the 2016 election regarding negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount once again highlight the extent to which those defending the status quo in this area are willing to create their own ‘alternative facts’ in order to promote their arguments. 1 FEBRUARY 2018 -- Homes for Homes: tackling the big issue of housing affordability
The Fifth Estate The extreme need for affordable housing in some cities, especially Melbourne and Sydney, is yielding some creative solutions, none more so than the Homes for Homes concept developed by social enterprise The Big Issue. It’s no magic bullet for funding… or is it? In essence it’s a legal mechanism placed on the title of a property for the vendor to donate 0.1 per cent of the sale price to a pot of funds that will support affordable and social housing. The donation is voluntary and the covenant can be removed at any time. 31 JANUARY 2018 -- Mirvac pulls out of development after decision to enforce 30% larger units
Australian Financial Review Mirvac's decision to pull out of apartment development at the future Sydney Northwest Metro train station precinct Showground is a result of a political chess-game aimed at getting more votes from large dweller proponents at the expense of higher density affordable housing, industry group Urban Taskforce said. "The swing to apartment living is partly a lifestyle issue and partly an affordability issue. All levels of government have a responsibility to support the ability of future generations to have somewhere to live that is affordable." If the link above is unavailable, the article can be accessed below
31 JANUARY 2018-State governments launch affordable housing initiatives
The Adviser The Victorian government has launched a new pilot shared equity scheme to help low- to medium-income-earning Victorians buy their first home. Under the $50 million HomesVic scheme, the government is assisting up to 400 first home buyers that meet the eligibility criteria to enter the market earlier by reducing the amount of money required for their home loan. The pilot scheme, which will launch in February, will see the state provide up to 25 per cent of the purchase price of a dwelling for low-income first home buyers. Meanwhile, the Tasmanian government has said that it will invest an additional $125 million into its Affordable Housing Strategy, making it the state’s largest ever investment into affordable housing. 29 JANUARY 2018--How governments can ensure more affordable housing (opinion)
The Fifth Estate Government can ensure more sub-market homes on its own land, and incentivise the private sector to do so through better policies. 25 JANUARY 2018 -- AHURI research twisted to support negative gearing
The Fifth Estate The Property Council of Australia has used new research by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) to argue that negative gearing is not responsible for high home prices. “We welcome this new AHURI report which finds that Australia’s negative gearing settings are neither out of kilter with those of other comparable countries, nor are they the driver of escalating house prices across much of Australia,” PCA chief executive Ken Morrison said. The PCA’s take on the report has raised eyebrows, as the authors behind the report have previously stated that negative gearing is a causal factor in Australia’s high housing prices 25 JANUARY 2018 -- State 'interested' in paying for quarter of your new home
Fraser Coast Chronicle THE Queensland government has expressed interest in a pilot program that will pay for a quarter of the cost of first homes to beat housing affordability woes. Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad told The Courier-Mail that Queensland would track the outcomes of the Victorian government's HomesVIC shared equity scheme - an initiative that industry watchers believe deserves widespread adoption. 24 JANUARY 2018 -- Productivity Commissions Report on Government Services--Housing and Homelessness
Government News The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services (RoGS) has a detailed section on governments’ delivery of services in the housing sector. It covers social housing services and subsidised rental housing provided by not-for-profit, non‑government or government organisations to assist people who are unable to access suitable accommodation through the private market. The report also examines specialist homelessness services – direct assistance for the homeless and those at risk, including accommodation and other services. There is also coverage of private rental and home purchase assistance as targeted payments to assist access to private housing and reduce demand on social housing and homelessness services. The RoGS Housing and Homelessness section is available here. 24 JANUARY 2018 -- What Australia can learn from overseas about the future of rental housing (opinion)
UNSW Newsroom When we talk about rental housing in Australia, we often make comparisons with renting overseas. Faced with insecure tenancies and unaffordable home ownership, we sometimes try to envisage European-style tenancies being imported here. Our review of the private rental sectors of 10 countries in Australasia, Europe and North America identified innovations in rental housing policies and markets Australia might try to emulate – and avoid. International comparisons also give a different perspective on aspects of Australia’s own rental housing institutions that might otherwise be taken for granted. 24 JANUARY 2018 -- Take a leaf out of Canada's housing approach (opinion)
Newcastle Herald Australia can learn from the Canadians and Kiwis in relation to housing, says Greg Budworth from Compass Housing. Like Australia, the federal governments of both countries, have for decades accepted little responsibility for social and affordable housing policy or supply. They’ve left it with state and provincial governments. 24 JANUARY 2018 -- Moving to the country the answer to housing affordability for some, but prices are rising
ABC Online Real estate agents are reporting strong interest in regional property sales as first home buyers and retiring baby boomers realise the savings that can be made by a move to the country. 23 JANUARY 2018 -- The obvious, easy answer to Australia's 'severely unaffordable' housing market
The New Daily The “biggest single thing” the Turnbull government could do to address the rising cost of Australia’s housing is to scrap negative gearing. Not build more houses. Not open up more land to development. Simply scrap negative gearing. 22 JANUARY 2018 -- 2018 Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey
Macrobusiness The 14th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey has been released and, once again, it ranks Australia as having one of the most expensive housing markets out of the countries surveyed. Related articles --Housing crisis deepens as Australian market rated 'severely unaffordable' The New Daily The Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey named Australia as the third least affordable housing market, behind only New Zealand and Hong Kong. The study blamed Australia’s poor performance on the implementation of ‘urban consolidation’ in the 1980s, a policy designed to limit urban sprawl. Prior to this, Australia’s housing market score was below 3, classing it as affordable. --Australia ranked third least affordable country for housing Domain Housing affordability in Australia has reached a ‘crisis’ point, with people paying up to almost 13 times their annual income to purchase a house, a new survey has found. --Homes in New York more affordable than those in Brisbane news.com.au IT IS cheaper to buy a home in New York than it is in Brisbane, according to a new global study that ranks every one of Australia’s major housing markets as ‘severely unaffordable’. 21 JANUARY 2018 -- Labor announces $106 million affordable housing plan
The Advocate Labor has announced a $106 million housing affordability package which it says will assist people who are struggling to break into the rental and home ownership markets. Under the plan:
16 JANUARY 2018 -- Simple reason negative gearing will never be scrapped
news.com.au DESPITE ongoing debate, politicians will never scrap negative gearing for one simple reason, Australian economist Saul Eslake has said. While it might seem like a no-brainer for those of us desperate to join the homeowners’ club, Mr Eslake explains, it would be one of the dumbest political decisions possible. And It all comes down to votes. 15 JANUARY 2018 -- Turnbull's scare campaign on negative gearing (opinion)
Pearls and Irritations Exclusive, scoop, shock, horror! Politicians tell porkies! In an amazing journalistic breakthrough, it can be revealed that sometimes Australia’s political leaders may not hold strictly to the unvarnished truth. Lengthy and painstaking research shows that there are times when they exaggerate and even mislead the public in a quest for advantage. 15 JANUARY 2018 -- Social Enterprise announces $500,000 funding for social and affordable housing
ProBono Social enterprise Homes for Homes has launched its first-ever funding round for projects that increase the supply of social and affordable housing, with $500,000 up for grabs. The organisation raises funds through donations from property sales, with homeowners and property stakeholders voluntarily registering with HFH and agreeing to donate 0.1 per cent of their property’s sale price to the initiative. On Monday, HFH released $300,000 of funding in Victoria and $200,000 of funding in the ACT, which HFH CEO Steven Persson said was a significant milestone for the social enterprise. 14 JANUARY 2018- When it comes to negative gearing, this government prefers fiction to fact (commentary)
The Guardian This week came the news that before the 2016 election, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison were making claims about the impact of the Labor party’s negative gearing policy that directly contradicted advice from the Treasury. This was followed on Thursday by Fairfax revealing that the New South Wales government had ignored the advice of its own treasury department that negative gearing was pushing up house prices. Negative gearing is the economic equivalent of a migrant crime story – something conservative political parties believe they can use to scare voters despite little or no relation to facts. 12 JANUARY 2018 -- There's no silver bullet when it comes to housing affordability (commentary)
Inside Story There’s an important insight amid the wreckage of the Turnbull government’s claim that tightening tax breaks for housing investors would crash house prices. The Treasury advice released this week confirms that reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount would not “take a sledgehammer” to the housing market, as the prime minister once suggested. But Treasury’s advice shows that they will not make housing much more affordable either. The debate over negative gearing illustrates a broader problem ignored by many affordable housing advocates. While negative gearing and a number of other housing tax reforms are definitely worth pursuing, they alone won’t solve our housing affordability crisis. 12 JANUARY 2018 -- Home ownership rates will soar if negative gearing is scrapped: RBA
The New Daily Scrapping negative gearing would help hundreds of thousands of renters get on the housing ladder, a new report published by the Reserve Bank of Australia has found. The report, written for the RBA by academics from Melbourne University, found homeownership rates in Australia would soar from 66.7 per cent to 72.2 per cent – a 5.5 percentage point increase – if the policy were abolished. Related article Home ownership could soar to the same level as 1991 under proposed change news.com.au AUSTRALIAN renters and owner-occupiers would benefit from a cut to negative gearing, which could see home ownership soar to its highest level since 1991, say researchers. Experts from Melbourne University said in a paper presented at a Reserve Bank of Australia workshop that scrapping negative gearing could improve housing affordability. They said it would have a minimum impact on the economy while curbing the appetite of investors and the top 20 per cent of earners for owning multiple properties, Fairfax Media reports. 12 JANUARY 2018 -- Barriers to first home buyers--more than smashed avocado
Canstar The ability – or inability – for young Australians to break into the property market has been a hot topic for some time now, but statistical evidence suggests there’s a lot more to their struggles than too much smashed avo on toast. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) December Bulletin featured a comprehensive analysis of housing affordability for first home buyers based on purchasing capacity for first home buyers only (instead of all households) in order to determine whether buying a home is as hard as young people say it is. This analysis revealed first home buyers in Australia are having to pay more for houses that are smaller and in less desirable locations. 12 JANUARY 2018 -- Treasury releases draft legislation on the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC)
Treasury Department This exposure draft Bill gives effect to the Government’s 2017/18 Budget commitment to establish the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) to improve housing outcomes for Australians. Key Aspects of the Bill:
This draft legislation is open to comment until Monday 22 January 2018. Details on how to submit comments can be found at the link above, along with copies of the Bill and the Explanatory Memorandum. 11 JANUARY 2018-Framing negative gearing the right way could have a positive impact (comment)
The Age Labor MPs might be rubbing their hands together with glee at a Treasury memo that shows the federal opposition’s negative gearing policy will have a “small” impact on the property market. But insights from behavioural public policy, as highlighted by the 2017 Economics Nobel laureate – Richard Thaler and his colleague Cass Sunstein, tell us that how people respond to this policy will be more about how the government frames it. 11 JANUARY 2018 -- CBA's Aussie Home Loans subsidiary in stoush with Australian Affordable Housing Party
news.com.au CAMPAIGNERS on a mission to make housing more accessible for cash strapped Australians are at war with one of the country’s largest providers of home loans. The head of the Australian Affordable Housing Party (AAHP), whose goal is to enable people on lower incomes to get on the property ladder, has claimed the Commonwealth Bank — through its Aussie Home Loans subsidiary — is trying to “crush” the burgeoning movement because it fears the party’s policies could hurt their bottom line. 10 JANUARY 2018 -- Real estate agents want a dedicated 'property minister' in Turnbull government
Sydney Morning Herald Real estate agents are pushing the Coalition to introduce a new 'property services' minister to bring the nation's multi-billion dollar housing and development industry closer to the heart of government. However the proposal, floated in a pre-budget submission by the Real Estate Institute of Australia, has come under scrutiny for the "unclear" benefit it would deliver Australians. 9 JANUARY 2018 -- Labor to stick with negative gearing policies
Macrobusiness In the wake of yesterday’s Freedom of Information (FOI) release from the Australian Treasury, which claimed that Labor’s policy to restrict negative gearing to new builds and halve the capital gains tax (CGT) discount would have a “relatively modest downward impact on property prices”, would shift the “composition of ownership… away from domestic investors”, would save the Budget some $3.4 to $3.9 billion per year, and that “negative gearing benefits high income families”, Labor has confirmed that it will stick to the policy for the next federal election Related article Labor says Treasury document shows negative gearing claims 'outright lies' The Guardian Labor has released a Treasury document that states its negative gearing policies could cut house prices in the short term but, over time, the impact will be “relatively modest”. The opposition has seized on the advice to government, released under freedom of information, as proof the Coalition exaggerated claims that changing the tax treatment of property would be a “sledgehammer” to the economy. 9 JANUARY 2018 -- Government's housing policies working: Kelly O'Dwyer
Rate City The federal government has highlighted the success of its housing affordability policies while accusing the opposition of wanting to “slash” property values. Acting treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer told ABC News Radio that the government’s “very careful, calibrated plan around housing affordability” is already working. The plan includes the First Home Super Saver Scheme for younger Australians and downsizing incentives for older Australians. “The government has also tightened the rules on foreign investors to ensure that they can’t purchase existing homes, and we have sold up on foreign nationals to the tune of more than $100 million in illegally purchased property,” she said. 9 JANUARY 2018 -- The future is prefabricated
University of Melbourne Commonly used in much of Europe, prefabrication is a more environmentally sustainable and socially beneficial way to build, and it’s taking off in Australia too 9 JANUARY 2018 -- New housing can be affordable and homely if builders learn lessons from the car industry--and IKEA
The Conversation For many people, the housing market is not a welcoming place. The rungs of the property ladder seem to get further and further out of reach. There are loud calls to build hundreds of thousands of new homes (and equally loud demands that they’re not built in anyone’s back yard). If there was ever a time to introduce mass-produced affordable housing, surely that time is now. 5 JANUARY 2018 -- Thousands of vulnerable South Australians wait for public housing as homes sit empty
The Advertiser MORE than 1500 housing commission homes are classed as untenantable as 21,000 vulnerable South Australian sit on the State Government’s official waiting list for public housing. If the link above is unavailable, the article can be accessed below.
If you are unable to access the article at the link, you can access it below
27 APRIL 2017 -- Affordable rentals at all time low, Anglicare report says
ABC News This is the worst year yet for Australians struggling to find an affordable house to rent, according to a new report from Anglicare. Key points:
Related article Rental affordability at crisis point for low income families The Guardian Australia The eighth annual rental affordability snapshot released by Anglicare on Wednesday reveals that, for those on welfare payments and the minimum wage, rental affordability remains at crisis point. While much of the talk in the run-up to the budget has been about the affordability of buying a house, the snapshot is a strong reminder of the inadequacy of welfare payments such as Newstart and the desperation many low-income families face just trying to find a roof to live under.
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