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Challenge accepted! Housing peak thrilled at states’ NPA commitment

Challenge accepted! Housing peak thrilled at states’ NPA commitment

National Shelter media release — 16 November 2012

National housing peak National Shelter welcomes the commitment by states and territories to continue the National Partnership Agreement (NPA) on Homelessness for the next year.  

This commitment comes after today’s Select Council on Housing and Homelessness Ministers in Brisbane. 

The Select Council is comprised of federal minister Brendan O’Connor, and housing ministers from Australia’s states and territories.

Chair of National Shelter, Adrian Pisarski, says he is delighted with the result: ‘We are delighted to welcome the state and federal governments’ commitment to continue funding the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness for another year.’

‘This is significant given that earlier this week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on the rise in the numbers of homeless people across Australia.’

Adrian Pisarski also says that while significant investment has been made in affordable housing in recent years, it is important to commit to continued investment.

‘Despite record spending from stimulus and the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS), we fear the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) is overseeing the decline of affordable housing in Australia, particularly social housing’, Mr Pisarski said.

At their last meeting in August, the ministers wrote to the Standing Council on Federal Finance Relations indicating their interest in providing input into the review of the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA).

National Shelter welcomes this agreement, and calls on ministers to commit to the future of affordable housing in Australia through a revised National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) that includes:

  • All programs that deliver more affordable housing, such as Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) and NRAS
  • An operational subsidy for affordable housing funded on a per-dwelling basis
  • An affordable housing growth fund allocated on a per-capita basis for the delivery of further affordable housing
  • A commitment to an additional 50,000 NRAS incentives
  • Joint funding from the Commonwealth and states/territories
  • Clear linkages with urban planning outcomes and taxation reform.

For more information, please see National Shelter’s housing priorities.

Contacts:
•    Emma Greenhalgh, National Shelter Project Manager: 0402 927 243
•    Adrian Pisarski, National Shelter Chairperson: 0417 975 270
•    Joanna Carson, Communications Officer: 0418 718 584

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