The ACT yesterday became the first jurisdiction in Australia to make housing a human right, after the Legislative Assembly passed landmark reforms to the Human Rights Act 2004.

The Human Rights (Housing) Amendment Bill 2025, introduced by ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury MLA last year, inserted a new section in the Act recognising that everyone has the right to adequate housing. Mr Rattenbury described the passage of the bill as a paradigm shift and “a landmark for social justice in Australia”.

Housing peak body ACT Shelter recently said the housing crisis was “the defining social and economic challenge of our time”.

Public housing as a share of dwellings fell from 12 per cent 30 years ago to only 5.7 per cent today and shrinking. The public waiting list jumped 14 per cent in only six months, reaching 3,402 people, with more than 1,200 waiting more than five years for standard housing.

Rents are among the highest in the country; many tenants will become forever tenants, never owning their own homes; welfare recipients cannot afford to rent, and even full-time workers struggle. More than half of lower-income households face housing stress, and many have turned to charities in desperation.

Shelter believes the ACT is unlikely to meet its target of 1,000 new public dwellings by 2030, and has warned of “a ticking time bomb” as some affordable housing reverts to market rates after 15 years.

“For too long, governments have been walking away from their responsibility to ensure an affordable and decent home for all,” Mr Rattenbury said. “But today marks the beginning of an acknowledgement: housing is not a commodity; it is a human right.”

The amendment is designed to compel the government to reframe housing decisions through the lens of social need rather than private profit, Mr Rattenbury said. All future legislation will need to be assessed for its impact on housing rights, and government agencies will be required to consider housing when making policies and decisions.

It would legally require the government “to treat housing not as a private asset for wealth creation, but as a foundational social good” like education and healthcare, and to facilitate the fair provision of private and public housing. It empowered the public to challenge government decisions and change unfair laws.

ACT Shelter CEO Corinne Dobson called the amendment “a historic victory for the community sector and the thousands of Canberrans struggling in the midst of a housing crisis”.

She said that while the legislation would not resolve the housing crisis, it would provide a legal and policy framework to guide government decision-making, creating a standard against which the government must measure its policies and budgets.

Dr Devin Bowles, CEO of the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS), said the amendment “lays the legal foundation we need”.

In his opinion, housing is the single biggest driver of the cost-of-living crisis.

“To make the right to housing a reality, we must … scale up investment in public and community housing to ensure that no-one in Canberra is left without the security of a home.”

Other organisations — Better Renting, Advocacy for Inclusion, St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn, Families ACT, and the Australian Multicultural Action Network — said the amendment would strengthen protections for vulnerable people, particularly renters, people with disabilities, and homeless families.

At the federal level, Independent Senator David Pocock has long advocated to make housing a human right.

“Welcome news the ACT is moving ahead with this,” Senator Pocock said. “We need to change how we view housing and what we think it’s primarily for if we are to change the policies to make it more affordable.”