Introduction
No party or independent grouping has a comprehensive seniors’ housing policy that covers all forms of housing for ACT seniors.
The information below covers Greens, Labor, Liberals and the Independents for Canberra. There are other independents – Strong & House Teams and Fiona Carrick however they do not have anything like the detailed policies of the other groups, so have not been covered.
Parties and Candidates are releasing updated and newer policies as the election campaign proceeds. Sometimes policies and commitments are found across multiple sites. Please check their sites to make sure you have up to date and accurate information.
The current Labor/Greens government is undertaking several housing initiatives.
Greens
Social & Affordable Housing:
▪ Build & buy 10,000 new public homes over the next ten years – they have provided costings for this on their website, aim to have 10% of ACT housing as public housing.
▪ Establish a publicly owned developer & builder for public housing
▪ Create a prefabrication manufacturing hub for public housing
▪ Initiate a pilot project for homeowners to sell their homes to the government for use as public housing
▪ Create more accessible & secure homes for people with disabilities
▪ Fund Housing ACT to be a landlord of choice
▪ In-source & adequately fund repairs & maintenance for all public housing properties.
Planning, Development & other:
Renters:
▪ Legislate a 2-year rent freeze, a 2% cap on rent increases afterwards, & ban all forms of rent bidding
▪ Establish an independentRental Commissioner to deliver real protection for renters
▪ Create a portable bond transfer scheme so moving from one rental to another doesn’t break the bank
▪ Secure a permanent Rent Relief Fund
▪ Fund an accessibility grants program to for renters to get accessibility improvements to their home when they need it.
▪ There is also an environmental policy for public housing. Details at https://greens.org.au/act/policies/housing#renters
Source: https://greens.org.au/act/policies/housing Accessed 22/09/24
Note re seniors: Greens also will explore establishing a public retirement village.
Greens also have a detailed policy on preventing homelessness at: https://greens.org.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/2024%20Initiative%20-%20Preventing%20Homelessness.pdf
Labor
Social & Affordable Housing
The only specific mention in the Labor plan is more affordable housing in Strathnairn.
However there is more detail on the ACT government site & budget summaries – below taken from this document – note govt is Labor/Greens government.
“….By 2026–27 our goal is to:
- deliver 400 new public housing homes
- renew 1,000 public housing properties.
The 2024-25 ACT Budget includes the release of $46 million previously provisioned to continue the delivery of the Growing & Renewing Public Housing Program.
Funding in this budget will support the continued delivery of high-quality, accessible & energy efficient homes that meet the needs of tenants now & into the future.
The Commonwealth Government is also providing $50 million to support the ACT’s public housing.
See more detail on page below from ACT government site & budget summaries
Planning, Development & other:
▪ 30,000 more homes by 2030 including new suburban housing, more townhouses and duplexes in existing suburbs.
▪ More houses close to local shops /services and housing choices.
▪ Build to rent development in Turner.
▪ Work with Commonwealth to deliver thousands of new homes at the CSIRO Ginninderra site.
▪ More affordable housing in Strathnairn. Release more land
▪ Work with the University of Canberra on the implementation of their campus masterplan, which includes more housing, commercial and community facilities in Belconnen.
▪ Work with the operators of Westfield Belconnen to explore options for build-to-rent housing, providing more affordable homes in the town centre.
▪ Work with Southpoint on potential housing opportunities in the Tuggeranong Town Centre.
Source: www.actlabor.org.au/our-plan Accessed 21/9/24
Notes: Current affordable guidelines require that Build to rent projects must contain a minimum of 15% affordable housing so the majority is not affordable housing.
Affordable housing is usually available to people who do not meet the means test for public and community housing but earn up to the incomes key workers like teachers, nurses, police etc get paid.
Liberals
Social & Affordable Housing:
Deliver 125,000 new dwellings in the capital by 2050- see under Planning, below..
10% will be social housing – i.e. 12,500 social properties over 20 years
Under policies on their website (see link below ) the focus is on increasing affordable housing for people by enabling the community housing sector to build more homes.
▪ Up to 2,000 affordable and social housing properties. (presumably they mean in the next term of government).
▪ Supporting key workers with affordable housing
▪ Attracting investment for community housing
▪ Support for our public housing
Planning, Development & other:
▪ Developing Kowen as a new urban district and town centre for Canberra
▪ Commence development at Symonston and work with Federal Government to unlock former CSIRO Ginninderra land for housing development
▪ accelerate land release in suburbs currently under development such as Macnamara, Whitlam and Kenny
▪ auction all single residential blocks of land available ‘over the counter’ owned by the Suburban Land Agency in Jacka and Whitlam with 10% of those reserved for first home buyers offered at 75% of market value
▪ allow separately titled dual occupancies on eligible RZ1 blocks larger than 800m2 to maximise land use in suburban zones
▪ promote mixed-use residential development in CZ2 and CZ3 retail precincts and trades areas to encourage residential development in established commercial centres
fast-track planning approvals for the proposed Thoroughbred Park redevelopment for housing
▪ protect the ecologically significant Western Edge from future development by ceasing all investigative studies of the area
Sources:
https://canberraliberals.org.au/news/2024/09/19/canberra-liberals-announce-plan-deliver-125000-new-dwellings-2050 Accessed 22/9/24
https://freshopportunity.org/policies/affordablehousing Accessed 23/9/24
Independents for Canberra
Social & Affordable Housing:
The Independents policy is set out in the link below.
▪ Guarantee Housing ACT capital and recurrent funding to transform system and achieve following by 2030:
“1. Reduce priority housing list wait time to 30 day average;
2. Reduce high needs list to 90 day average; and
3. ACT rank first in Australia for public housing dwelling condition.”
▪ Improve customer service, particularly for maintenance and repairs.
▪ Maximise Commonwealth funding.
▪ Increase integration of community and public housing systems, introduce a territory wide digital social housing register.
There is more detail under Housing as a Right – What we stand for – use link below.
Planning, Development & other:
▪ Facilitate & scale implementation of novel housing developments including modular housing, cohousing, build to rent and tiny homes – for example, through planning designations, design guides, and land disposal policies.
▪ Establish a Strata Title Commissioner to protect people in apartments and townhouses.
▪ Accelerate timeline for Ginnindera development.
▪ Ensure energy policy includes measure to increase energy efficiency and electrification of rental and social housing properties
▪ Adequate wrap around services for people subjected to family, domestic and sexual violence.
▪ Implementing a dedicated child and youth homelessness action plan, co-designed with the community sector, to eliminate homelessness among children and young people in the ACT.
Source: www.independentsforcanberra.com/policy Accessed 21/9/24