The Strong Independents – Peter Strong AM and Ann Bray AM, contesting the seat of Kurrajong –argue that as the ACT Government’s Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program will not deliver enough housing for Canberra’s growing population, the next government must double social housing quickly.

“[We] are shocked and disappointed that the ACT Labor/Greens Government have failed disadvantaged people with accommodation needs,” Mr Strong and Ms Bray said, as they released their social housing policy. “We need to double new social housing, and we need to do that sooner than planned.”

ACT Government’s Growing and Renewing program does not work

The Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program was set up to replace 1,000 older, not-fit-for-purpose public housing homes with new, fit-for-purpose ones, and to add 400 new additional homes to the ACT’s public housing portfolio. The Program was originally planned to take five years, at a cost of $600 million; it will now take eight years to deliver 1,400 new public homes at a cost of $860 million.

However, the ACT Auditor-General’s Performance Audit Report (May) warns that the Program will not result in a real increase in public housing stock, due to population growth.

“Although there will be more public housing homes in the ACT by the end of the Program in 2027,” the Report states, “the supply of public housing homes relative to the number of people living in the ACT will decrease, because the ACT’s population is increasing.”

The Program will take longer and be more expensive for several reasons, the Auditor-General noted: it aims to deliver more public homes; the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions to the construction industry, and unexpected wet weather have delayed it; and the government’s policy of relocating tenants was “ineffective”, impacted their wellbeing, and damaged relationships with the non-government community sector.

Homelessness worse than a decade ago

“Canberrans living on low incomes can be significantly disadvantaged in accessing housing in our high-cost jurisdiction,” Mr Strong said.

The ACT Government owns 10,800 public houses and 840 community houses. However, the number of households registered and waiting for public housing has increased from 1,759 on 30 June 2018 to 3,149 on 4 December 2023 – an increase of 80 percent, Mr Strong noted. As of July 2024, it stands at 3,152 households, of which 2,024 have high needs and 73 are priority cases.

 “We feel this is totally unsatisfactory and cruel,” Mr Strong said.

In 2022-23, 569 women and children in the ACT who had experienced domestic and family violence were in housing situations that are just forms of homelessness, according to Homelessness Australia’s Homelessness and domestic and family violence: State of Response Report 2024, the Strong Independents remarked. 33 of these were sleeping rough or in a car, 414 were in short term or temporary accommodation, and 117 were couch surfing.

Homelessness Australia states that exits into homelessness in the ACT have increased in the last decade (although overall, exits into homelessness have decreased in the last two years). Between 2012-13 and 2022-23, the number of women and children sleeping rough or in a car increased by 64 per cent (from 20 to 33); and the number of women and children couch surfing increased by 26 per cent (from 93 to 117). In the past year, from 2021–22 to 2022-23, the number of women and children sleeping rough or in a car after receiving support has increased by 29 per cent.

“There is obviously insufficient accommodation,” Mr Strong said. “The Strong Independents know we need to remove the barriers to building, and fund this properly.”

Strong Independents: ‘Much to be done after years of neglect’

“There is much to be done after years of neglect,” Ann Bray said. “For example, we need to refresh/replace existing old public housing stock, but with respect shown to existing tenants. More affordable housing is also needed, so that people can transition from public housing. We also need to provide more emergency accommodation and support for those escaping domestic violence and provide basic necessities to rough sleepers.”

For instance, increasing funding for homelessness services, and providing mobile vans for rough sleepers that provide food and have shower and clothes-washing facilities.

One solution, the Strong Independents propose, is to maximise the use of the Housing Australia Future Fund, a $10 billion Commonwealth investment vehicle to support and increase social and affordable housing and other acute housing needs.

The ACT Government stated in this year’s Budget that they would spend $50 million from the Australian Government’s Social Housing Accelerator fund to deliver 55 to 65 new public housing homes by June 2028.

However, at the start of June, shortly before the release of the budget, ACT Independent Senator David Pocock expressed serious concern that none of the $50 million from the federal government’s Social Housing Accelerator Fund provided in June last year had yet been committed, with less than a year remaining for it to be used before any uncommitted funds must be returned to the Commonwealth.

“We need big ambition and bold action if we are to stand any chance of solving Australia’s crippling housing crisis,” Senator Pocock said. “The complexity of this crisis requires a long-term strategy and commitment that endures beyond short-term political cycles.”

Senator Pocock and Independent MP Kylea Tink introduced a bill last month that would require the Federal Government to make housing a human right for every Australian, and to transform Australia’s “dysfunctional” housing system over 10 years.

Similarly, the ACT Greens were angered that Housing ACT had refused 32 single residential dwellings and five public and five community homes developers allocated to them under legislated housing targets; in their opinion, ACT Labor prioritises development over public housing (a charge Labor denies). The ACT Greens have promised to build 10,000 more public homes over a decade.

The ACT Government invested $80 million in the Affordable Housing Fund (a $20 million increase) to grow affordable rental properties by 600, and $6.5 million to expand homelessness support.

ACTCOSS: ‘Business-as-usual’ is not the answer

Dr Devin Bowles, CEO of the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS), said: “There is growing recognition from across the political spectrum that the ACT is facing a public housing crisis.

“Failure to adequately invest over more than a decade has seen the share of public housing go backwards. At the same time, the waitlist for public housing has ballooned.

“Substantial investment in our public housing stock drives down the ACT Government’s costs for other services, such as presentations at Emergency Departments. It also reduces substantial human suffering.

“Business as usual solutions to the public housing crisis will not fix the problem. ACTCOSS calls on all parties and candidates to commit to bold investment in public and community housing.”

The ACT Government was asked for comment.