The government is to put extra money into housing for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and for poorer people.
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The Prime Minister's Office said premiers and chief ministers backed the new measures in the forthcoming budget "to help Australians build, rent and buy", during Friday's national cabinet meeting.
The measures included $1 billion "towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and youth".
This would bump the amount going towards this need from $175 million to $700 million as a way of supporting housing for those in immediate crisis.
There would, the PMO said, also be an extra $1 billion "for states and territories to build the roads, sewers, energy, water and community infrastructure that we need for new homes and for additional social housing supply".
And there would be $9.3 billion "for states and territories to combat homelessness, provide crisis support and build and repair social housing. This includes a doubling of Commonwealth homelessness funding to $400 million every year, matched by states and territories".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "This budget will provide an additional $1 billion for social and emergency housing to support women and children escaping domestic violence and will ensure a new five-year funding agreement with states and territories for housing and homelessness.
"We are encouraging states and territories to kick-start building by providing an extra $1 billion to help fund the roads and services new homes need."
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said: "Housing is a big priority for the Albanese government and it will be a big focus of the budget. Australia needs to build more homes more quickly and that's what this substantial investment will help to deliver."
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
