The Senate Economics References Committee’s first public hearing into Social Housing, held in Canberra today, heard evidence of serious failures by the Government to deliver its promised social and affordable homes to people in need.
Evidence to the committee today showed:
- As end-August 2026, Housing Australia has provided 1,607 of its 40,000 social and affordable homes target.
- That’s 4% of the HAFF target – when we are more than 40% into its timeline
- Only 57% of these, 1607 are additional dwellings. The rest are purchases of existing dwellings. They don’t add more houses to housing stock.
- Housing Australia doesn’t have a plan for what happens if funded providers can’t deliver the homes they’ve been contracted to by their 30 June 2029 deadline.
- Housing Australia was unable to answer questions about how many homes in their 40,000 target are public housing.
- ‘Affordable’ housing is defined by Housing Australia as rent paid at 74.9% of market rate, which would plunge many households into housing stress. Their definition of ‘affordable’ is unaffordable to many.
As stated by Greens spokesperson for finance, housing and homelessness and Senator for South Australia, Barbara Pocock:
“This hearing has revealed massive delays to the Government’s housing strategy. The Government is nowhere near achieving their social and affordable target of 40,000 and it has no contingency plan.
“Under the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), just 1,607 social and affordable homes have been added to housing stock – a mere drop in the ocean for the 640,000 households in need of a roof over their heads.
“Throughout the hearing, Housing Australia has shown itself to be incapable of answering basic questions about their program to deliver social and affordable housing. If they can’t answer these questions, then who can?
“As Labor’s principal response to the worst housing crisis in living memory, Housing Australia has shown itself to be woefully inadequate to the challenge.
“It’s shocking that in the midst of this housing crisis, the Government doesn’t even have a dedicated department for housing.
