The ACT Government has budgeted $100 million for more and better affordable and public housing for low-income Canberrans at risk of homelessness.
Ministers stated that today’s announcement was the largest investment in ACT public housing since self-government in 1988, and one of the single largest investments of any kind in that time. The ACT was the strongest supporter of public housing in the country, and had Australia’s highest ratio of public housing, said Yvette Berry, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development.
“We are leading the nation in providing social and public housing to those in our community who are most in need,” said Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
But social services and the opposition say maintaining public housing is long overdue.
A chronic lack of affordable housing over many years has left the ACT in a housing crisis, social services peak body ACTCOSS has stated throughout this year; Canberra was the most expensive Australian city to rent in, there was a shortfall of 3,100 social housing properties, and more than 2,700 people waited on average three and a half years for social housing.
The Canberra Liberals advocated on behalf of public housing tenants begging for the ACT Government to fix broken locks, mould infestations, and collapsing ceilings in dilapidated properties.
ACTCOSS CEO Dr Emma Campbell said that poor upkeep of public housing put tenants’ safety, health, and wellbeing at risk.
“We wouldn’t expect our politicians or public servants to have to operate in broken-down buildings with poor security and broken windows. Similarly, public housing tenants deserve to live in safe and well-maintained homes,” she said.
Today’s package aims to improve social housing and housing affordability as part of the ACT Housing Strategy. It includes:
- An additional $80 million for public housing maintenance over the next three years, to ensure public housing tenants live in safe and secure dwellings that suit their needs.
- $19 million in additional funding for the Growing and Renewing Public Housing program to add 400 more public housing dwellings and renew another 1,000 properties. Over the next four years, the Government has committed to spend $96 million.
- $720,000 over four years to build and operate long-term rental accommodation through the Build-to-Rent scheme on land release sites in Turner and Lawson.
- $640,000 for stage 1 of the Build-to-Rent model on the Common Ground site in Gungahlin. This includes due diligence, site feasibility investigations, and concept design.
- Restructuring financial support and negotiating a long-term agreement with Community Housing Canberra Limited to manage affordable rentals on behalf of the government.
“Everyone deserves a place to call home, but as long as housing is treated as a market instead of a fundamental human right, there are many Canberrans who will need the government’s help,” said Minister for Housing Services, Rebecca Vassarotti.
ACTCOSS and the Canberra Liberals welcomed the funding, albeit as a response to their repeated calls for the government to act.
Dr Campbell said additional investment in maintaining the ACT’s public housing stock was long overdue; ACTCOSS, ACT Shelter and other community sector organisations have called for the government to improve public housing maintenance, to accelerate the Growing and Renewing Public Housing program, and to deliver more affordable rental properties.
Mark Parton, Shadow Minister for Housing, saw it as an admission the government’s public housing maintenance budget had been woefully inadequate.
Mr Parton said the additional $80 million over the next three years was a step in the right the direction, but too little, too late. He campaigned this year for the government to ease housing stress and to urgently repair dilapidated public houses full of mould, maggots, and dead animals.
“Vulnerable Canberrans deserve much better than what they have been getting from this government, and if you beat the drum loud enough, eventually they will listen,” he said.
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