One in two people who need social housing in northern Tasmania miss out

The statistics don't lie. We are in a crisis. But when you speak to local community housing organisations, the human stories really illustrate the strife. Housing Choices Tasmania found accommodation for a couple forced to move between relatives' homes, Airbnbs, motels and caravan parks after they could no longer afford their home. One man spent 18 months in an isolated, poorly maintained rental where the only water source was dirty dam water while waiting for social housing.

While previous generations may have considered moving across the country or to the major cities in search of better opportunities, including more housing choice, the extent of the crisis threatens to put even this option out of reach.

Nationwide, the home-building pipeline, as measured by the number of new housing approvals, is at its weakest in more than 10 years.[1] Over a similar period, social housing has declined to a 40-year low of around 4 per cent of overall housing stock. In the past year alone, average rents skyrocketed by more than $100 a week-even more in our biggest cities-and less than 1 per cent of advertised rentals are now affordable to people on the minimum wage.

Even those on decent incomes are finding themselves part of the working poor due to escalating rents and mortgages. And for those already struggling to get by, the situation is astronomically worse. Almost 40,000 children and young people approached homelessness services alone for assistance in 2022/23, including 9,232 children aged 15-17. Alarmingly, even after assistance from homelessness services, 44 per cent of those aged 15-24 were still homeless.

A landmark analysis by the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW shows that the number of Australian households experiencing homelessness, overcrowding or rental stress is set to rise from 640,000 in 2021 to 940,000 by 2041 if nothing is done. The costs of inaction pose a massive risk to social stability. Places like London and San Francisco, where extreme housing shortages are forcing people to live in slums or on the streets, are a stark warning of the risks we face.

Labor's commitment to fund 40,000 new rental homes through the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) and the National Housing Accord is an important start, but more needs to be done. As an initial step, the government must at least double the $10 billion HAFF to $20 billion-something well within reach given the relatively favourable budgetary position.

This would deliver more homes, increase flexibility in funding streams, and enable the creation of more social and affordable housing options. If the program can be expanded sufficiently, it will also help to soften rent inflation at the lower end of the private rental market. Best of all, this measure would not contribute to inflationary pressures, as the investment could simply add to the length of the HAFF program-potentially extending the scope to underwrite new construction commitments beyond 2030.

Governments must also leverage their planning powers to deliver more social and affordable housing by mandating that developers allocate 5 to 10 per cent of their new housing stock for rental at rates below the market value. The latest Essential poll shows social housing is the most popular housing policy and two-thirds of Australians want increased funding for community providers to deliver it.[2]

Finally, it's time for Australia to revisit and reform tax breaks for private landlords. These cost the Commonwealth $8.5bn in 2021. Over the decade, they are forecast to rocket to $20bn -money that further aggravating wealth inequality.

Everyone deserves a decent, affordable home. Government needs to act now to ensure that this fundamental right remains a reality for all.

Wendy Hayhurst is the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) CEO.