The ACT Budget will deliver more housing for Canberrans who need them most, the government promises.
“Increased housing construction and improved affordability continue to be a priority for the Government,” Chief Minister Andrew Barr said. “We are committed to implementing measures that increase housing supply, access and choice to meet the needs of our growing city.”
The Affordable Housing Project Fund will receive an additional $20 million, expanding the Fund to $80 million to grow the number of affordable rental properties. The Fund was established last year to grow the supply of affordable rental properties in Canberra and strengthen the community housing sector. So far, it has funded six projects delivering 280 affordable rentals.
“The expansion of the Affordable Housing Project Fund reinforces our commitment to increase the supply of affordable rentals in Canberra, including by supporting the development of more Build-to-Rent projects,” Mr Barr said.
The Budget will provide an additional $108 million for new public housing, and to improve existing public housing, taking the Housing ACT Capital Works Program to more than $530 million over four years. The government has committed to provide 600 additional affordable rentals and 400 additional public housing dwellings by 2025-26. The Government released the ACT Housing Strategy 5-Year Snapshot today.
A taskforce will be set up to improve repairs and maintenance of public housing and to oversee an pilot for insourcing maintenance of two large multi‑unit properties.
“In line with the ACT Government’s commitment that if a job can be done by a public servant, it should be, our new insourcing taskforce will consider how government can better deliver repairs and maintenance services for the over 20,000 Canberrans who call public housing home,” Yvette Berry, ACT Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, said.
“The taskforce will work hand-in-hand with tenants, unions and community organisations to ensure their voices are heard throughout this process.”
“These initiatives will help ensure we have the right mix of housing options to suit a range of household incomes and meet the housing needs of our growing city, which is on track to reach 500,000 people by 2027,” Mr Barr said.
Last week, the ACT Government announced it would release land to construct more than 21,000 new homes by the end of the decade. However, there are concerns that the land will not be shovel-ready for many years.
The ACT Government will work with the Commonwealth Government on the National Housing Accord.
