Federal government’s $2b pledge bankrolls states to speed up new social housing builds
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged $2b to fund new social housing, bankrolling the states to fast-track the creation of thousands of homes.
National
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The federal government will spend $2bn in new funding for social housing, bankrolling the states to speed up the creation of thousands of homes.
States and territories have agreed to boost housing supply by unlocking land, rezoning and by using other policy measures.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday will use a speech at the Victorian Labor State Conference to reveal the creation of a $2bn Social Housing Accelerator, which will deliver money for projects within two weeks.
The leaders of every state and territory have agreed to the fund as a result of talks, including at national cabinet, about the need to address the nation’s housing affordability crisis amid soaring interest rates and rental prices.
At a meeting on Friday, they committed to back up the federal funding with their own measures, such as making it easier for new developments and freeing up unused land.
In 2021, the state government promised 1400 homes at a capital cost of $500m, in partnership with community housing organisations.
The fund could potentially bankroll similar schemes across the country.
“This is new money – right now – for new social housing,” Mr Albanese will say.
“The last decade has seen the proportion of social housing decline from 4.7 per cent to 4.2 per cent of households.
“Demand for social housing has increased almost three times as fast as the growth in population.
“We are determined to work with state and territory governments to reverse this decline, as part of our commitment to expand housing supply.
”When I met with premiers and chief ministers about this yesterday, they all committed to ensuring that investment in housing will work alongside better planning laws, reforming zoning and freeing-up more land for new builds.
“That’s what this is about, real dollars, driving real change and building more homes.”
Mr Albanese will also attack the Greens after his government’s signature housing policy, the $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund, was delayed because it is yet to win their support in the Senate.
“Our government is not going to wait around while members of the Greens political party call for more housing in the media while opposing it in their electorates and voting against it in the parliament,” he will say.
In an effort to re-energise support for an indigenous Voice to parliament, Mr Albanese will also make the Voice a key part of his address to the party faithful.
Polls show support for Constitutional change has fallen, prompting speculation a No vote will prevail now.
“The Yes cause is being championed by the voices of everyday Australians,” Mr Albanese will say.
“Because the idea of Constitutional recognition through a Voice doesn’t belong to politicians or peak bodies.
“It’s about achieving change from the ground up, and it came from the ground up, from the grassroots.
“The proposal all of us will be voting on at the referendum is the product of years of work and thousands of conversations among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves.
“Their hopes and aspirations, captured in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.”
Mr Albanese will say that later this year “all of us can say Yes to that request”.
Originally published as Federal government’s $2b pledge bankrolls states to speed up new social housing builds
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