This Month
Coalition to revive technical colleges, won’t commit to housing target
Peter Dutton claimed a $260 million pledge to establish new Australian technical colleges was another pillar of his housing affordability and accessibility policies.
Labor’s housing fund may need bailout after stock slump
Taxpayers could be forced to top up the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund if financial markets do not recover in the next three months.
Housing tenders run aground on election rocks
Partisan political housing arguments and slow implementation put at risk Australia’s first major effort in years to boost social and affordable housing.
February
Plenary’s $1b Abu Dhabi deal boosts its housing firepower
After the sale of a 49pc stake to a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund, the developer wants to tap an expected upswing in residential development.
November 2024
Housing Australia’s Dal Bon goes from funding homes to building them
The inaugural head of Australia’s housing funding body has taken a new job with the ACT’s largest community housing provider.
October 2024
‘Have you got Tourette’s?’: PM apologises for Taylor accusation
Anthony Albanese asked Angus Taylor if he had the syndrome during Question Time; Peter Dutton accused of fundraising for men’s only club. How the day unfolded.
September 2024
Labor members want negative gearing changes in ambitious housing plan
Labor for Housing, a national group of members, wants Labor to adopt an 80 per cent homeownership target by 2040.
HAFF tender to build just 700 homes this year
The first allocation from the $10b federal government fund for social and affordable housing gave little detail about how many new homes will be created.
Social housing offers 8-12pc infrastructure-like returns
As Australia grapples with how to channel institutional money into new housing, the $10b HAFF fund offers a way to invest that Australia hasn’t had before.
June 2024
Pocock, Tink push for 10-year housing and homelessness plan in law
Independent ACT senator David Pocock and teal MP for North Sydney Kylea Tink want a 10-year housing and homelessness plan enshrined in legislation to create certainty.
HAFF housing fund applications top 50,000 in first round
The government revealed demand for funding under the affordable and social housing program surged.
May 2024
Imported tradies need to live somewhere too
To fix the housing shortage the government needs to train many more building industry workers at home as well as fast-tracking visas for foreign tradies, builders say.
Why did Labor drop a big policy change at 6pm last Friday?
While the media scrambled to get across a housing announcement late Friday, the government quietly dropped long-awaited changes to foreign student numbers.
Red tape puts Labor’s $10b HAFF housing plan at risk
The federal government, set to fall 300,000 homes short of its 1.2 million target, faces another hurdle over workplace health and safety certification.
$10b housing fund should be doubled, community providers say
The massive response to the federal government’s first tender to develop affordable and social rental housing shows more funding is needed, developers say.
March 2024
First tender surge for Housing Future funds
Public housing waiting lists make it crucial to expand funding beyond an initially planned 8000 homes, investors say.
Albanese pledges $4b for Indigenous housing
Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney will visit the NT on Tuesday to announce a major package for remote homes.
February 2024
NSW to create youth agency as many young have ‘given up’ on a home
The announcement of a “youth voice” to represent Millennials and Gen Z came as a planning expert declared that Sydney no longer works for young people.
January 2024
Government has 12-month window to buy rental homes in a weak market
The federal government is juggling twin needs of delivering affordable and social rental homes quickly as well as boost the overall stock of housing.
Unsold units, office conversions qualify for 40,000-home tender
Funding unlocked for the federal government’s push to boost social and affordable housing stock could be used to repurpose existing structures.