List of recommendations
Recommendation 2.1 (p. 27)
The committee recommends that, given the
very high levels of housing stress, overcrowding and homelessness experienced
by Indigenous Australians, all levels of government should give priority to addressing
their high level of unmet need for public and community housing under all
exiting programmes and the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
Recommendation 4.1 (p. 62)
In the interests of more
informed discussion of arrangements to encourage affordable housing, the
Treasury be asked to publish current estimates of various taxation and related
measures affecting the housing market.
Recommendation 4.2 (p. 69)
The committee recommends that
Australia's Future Tax System Review Panel consider the implications for
housing affordability, as well as the overall fairness of the tax system, of
the:
- tax discount for capital gains on investor housing;
- exemption from land taxation of owner-occupied housing; and
- current negative gearing provisions.
Recommendation 5.1 (p. 91)
The committee recommends
that the proposed National Housing Supply Council develop a database of skilled
labour in the construction industry across all skill sets and in all states and
territories. It should be tasked with assessing the construction industry's
future skilled labour needs based on projections of other industries' workforce
needs and forecasts of both underlying and effective demand for housing. The
Council should also record the contribution of immigration programmes to the
construction workforce as well as the industry's retention rates.
Recommendation 5.2 (p. 93)
The committee recommends
the establishment of a working group, chaired by the Development Assessment
Forum, to review the need for classes of development to require planning
approval. The focus of this working group should be to demarcate those
activities that should be performed by fully qualified planners and those can
be undertaken—at least initially—by less qualified 'paraplanners'.
Recommendation 6.1 (p. 104)
The committee recommends that the state and territory
governments introduce enabling legislation for inclusionary zoning to require
affordable housing in all new developments, including a proportion of social
housing.
Recommendation 6.2 (p. 104)
The committee recommends that the state and territory
governments encourage and promote the design and construction of adaptable
housing which facilitates access improvements for the elderly and disabled and
allow a larger house to be converted into smaller, separate units.
Recommendation 7.1 (p. 108)
The committee recommends
that all state and territory governments consider stamp duty exemptions for
first home buyers and for retirees who are downsizing their primary residence.
Recommendation 8.1 (p. 127)
The committee recommends that the Western Australian
Auditor General assess LandCorp's performance in releasing residential
land in the Pilbara region over the past five years.
Recommendation 8.2 (p. 127)
The committee recommends
that the Western Australian government review the Western Australian Land Authority Act 1992 and the governance and goals of LandCorp, in
particular the requirement under section 19 that it must 'endeavour to surpass
financial targets'.
Recommendation 8.3 (p. 130)
The committee recommends
that the Western Australian government increase the investment in public and
community housing in the Pilbara region as a matter of priority. The merits of the Stamfords / Pilbara Association of
Non Government Organisations proposal and/or the development of apartment
buildings should be considered as a means of rapidly addressing unmet need for
social housing in Karratha.
Recommendation 8.4 (p. 133)
The committee recommends
that the Australian and Western Australian Governments establish a high-level
emergency taskforce to consult with Pilbara communities and industry to develop
a coordinated response to the housing affordability crisis in the Pilbara with
a view to creating long-term sustainable communities in the region.
Recommendation 8.5 (p. 133)
The committee recommends
that, in conjunction with the emergency taskforce, all tiers of government hold
a number of all-party community meetings in the Pilbara region to give Pilbara
residents the opportunity to speak directly to elected representatives
regarding the response required to address the housing affordability crisis in
the region.
Recommendation 9.1 (p. 144)
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government should increase the First Home Owners Grant
Scheme for those buying new dwellings and lower it for buyers of existing
dwellings. Any funds saved should be directed towards measures to increase the
supply of affordable housing.
Recommendation 9.2 (p. 150)
The committee
recommends that Treasury examine the
international experience with a securitised mortgage scheme and its application
to Australia with a view to determining whether an 'Aussie Mac' style product
would be beneficial in the Australian market.
Recommendation 9.3 (p. 152)
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government increase support for home owners to undertake
counselling to improve their financial literacy before they are allowed to
access their superannuation to make mortgage repayments.
Recommendation 10.1 (p. 157)
The committee recommends that the Australian Government
commission an independent evaluation of the Commonwealth Rent Assistance
programme, to ascertain its effectiveness and cost effectiveness in improving
housing affordability for low to medium income households and to make
recommendations regarding future directions for the programme, including
eligibility criteria.
The review should be undertaken in the context of a more
comprehensive review of all government initiatives, both supply side and demand
side, aimed at improving housing affordability.
Recommendation 10.2 (p. 157)
The committee recommends that the Australian, state and
territory governments increase the quantum of support available under
Commonwealth Rental Assistance for older Australians living in private rental
accommodation.
Recommendation 10.3 (p. 167)
In order to meet the immediate need for social housing of
highly disadvantaged households, the committee recommends that significant new
funding be invested, by both the Australian Government and state and territory
Governments, under the new National Affordable Housing Agreement, with the aim
of increasing the pool of social housing to at least 6 per cent of housing
stock.
Recommendation 10.4 (p. 167)
The committee recognises the strengths that the Community
Housing Sector brings to the delivery of social housing in Australia. In order
to ensure that these strengths are fully employed, the committee recommends
that the Australian, state and territory governments work more closely with
Community Housing Associations to support them in meeting their social housing
commitments and to explore options for attracting more investment, including
private sector investment, into not-for-profit models of housing provision.
Recommendation 10.5 (p. 167)
With a view to building more sustainable social housing in the
longer term the committee recommends that the pool of social housing stock be
increased to at least 10 per cent of housing stock by 2020, facilitating the
entry into social housing of a more diversified mix of low to medium income
earners.
Recommendation 10.6 (p. 167)
As an additional measure to improve the sustainability of
social housing, the committee recommends that the formula used to calculate the
level of rent paid in social housing be reviewed, with a view to enhancing the
sustainability of social housing stock (and, if possible, providing for
growth), while maintaining affordability.
The review should include an examination of the interaction
between social housing and Commonwealth Rent Assistance payments, and how these
two programmes might be best utilised to maximise socially and economically
sustainable outcomes in terms of access to affordable housing.
Recommendation 10.7 (p. 169)
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government consider whether the level of increased support
to the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program being offered under the 'A
Place to Call Home' initiative is sufficient to address the level of unmet
need, and increase support to emergency assistance programmes provided by
charitable organisations to assist the growing numbers experiencing financial
crisis.
Recommendation 10.8 (p. 172)
The committee recommends that the HOME Advice scheme be
expanded nationally to provide early intervention services for families at risk
of homelessness. The scheme should be evaluated after five years, including a
comprehensive economic evaluation, to ensure that the expanded programme
continues to provide economic and social benefits to the community.
Recommendation 10.9 (p. 172)
The committee recommends that consideration is given to
expanding referral pathways to the HOME Advice scheme to include financial
institutions, so as to better capture low income mortgagees who may be at risk
of becoming homeless.
Recommendation 10.10 (p. 173)
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government encourage applications under the National Rental
Affordability Scheme that would target the development of new affordable rental
properties in areas of greatest need and/or for communities needing affordable
housing for essential services workers.
Recommendation 10.11 (p. 178)
The committee recommends that the Australian Government
considers how community housing providers and housing cooperatives might be
assisted to access funding under the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
Recommendation 10.12 (p. 178)
The committee recommends that the Department of Families,
Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs conduct a mid-implementation
review of the National Rental Affordability Scheme in 2010 to assess the extent
to which it is meeting its objectives.
Recommendation 10.13 (p. 181)
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government examine the capacity of the community housing
sector to operate as a provider of choice of affordable adaptable housing for
people living with a disability, and investigate how it can support this sector
to provide more units of appropriate housing.
Recommendation 10.14 (p. 181)
The committee recommends that the Australian, state and
territory governments investigate options to encourage community housing
associations to develop more housing to meet the future needs of an increasing
number of older Australians for affordable and adaptable housing that supports
'ageing in place.'
Recommendation 10.15 (p. 182)
The committee recommends that the Department of Families,
Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs conduct an independent
evaluation of alternative tenancy and ownership models, such as housing
cooperatives, currently operating in or proposed for Australia or overseas, to
assess their efficacy in providing secure and affordable housing in the
Australian context. The evaluation should include a review of any legislative
or administrative barriers to the introduction or expansion of such schemes in Australia.
If the results of the evaluation indicate that there may be a
role for alternative tenancy and ownership models in the Australian context,
options should be developed for supporting and promoting uptake of such models.
Recommendation 11.1 (p. 190)
The committee recommends that the
forward plans of the Australian, state and territory governments incorporate
policies for mid-size regional cities to ensure they are better able to form
sustainable communities, to cope with the transport impacts of peak oil and
climate change, and to invest in infrastructure.
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