The ACT Government is committing $100 million in additional funding to provide more affordable housing options for all Canberrans, building on the state’s commitment to eliminating stamp duty and to grow and renew public housing.
This funding will be one of the single largest investments to increase and improve the amount of affordable and public housing in the history of self-government, and will also create and protect local jobs, as the state moves towards its 250,000 local jobs by 2025 goal.
The package includes:
- An additional $80 million for public housing maintenance over the next three years, ensuring that public housing tenants live in safe and secure houses that suit their individual needs
- $19 million in additional funding for the Growing and Renewing Public Housing program, taking the total budget funding over the next four years to $96 million, to support delivering the Government’s commitment to add 400 additional public housing dwellings and renew another 1,000 properties
- $720,000 over four years to enable expressions of interest to build and operate long-term rental accommodation through the Build-to-Rent scheme on nominated land release sites in Turner and Lawson
- $640,000 for stage 1 of the Build to Rent model, that focuses on affordable and secure rental housing, on the existing Common Ground site in Gungahlin, including due diligence, site feasibility investigations and concept design
- Restructuring financial support and negotiating a long-term agreement with Community Housing Canberra Limited to manage affordable rentals on behalf of the government
This package aims to improve social housing and housing affordability for Canberrans as part of the ACT Housing Strategy, with a broad range of measures, to address the unique and complex challenges that exist in the housing market.
ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, said, “We are leading the nation in providing social and public housing to those in our community who are most in need.
“Build to Rent is an asset class that will be very important to the housing options available to Canberrans moving forward.
“The government is committed to improving social housing and housing affordability in the ACT as part of the roadmap outlined in the ACT Housing Strategy and the Parliamentary Agreement.”
ACT Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Yvette Berry, said,“This funding is a strong statement that the government is committed to growing, renewing, and maintaining a public housing portfolio that is better able to meet the needs of our diverse community, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
“In particular, the maintenance funding injection reflects our commitment to continuously improving the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance services to provide homes that suit the diverse needs of our tenants.
“The ACT is the strongest supporter of public housing with the highest ratio of public housing in the country. This commitment will enable tenants to live in suitable homes for families, people with disabilities, women escaping family and domestic violence and all households needing the support of public housing.”
ACT Minister for Housing Services, Rebecca Vassarotti, said, “Everyone deserves a place to call home, but as long as housing is treated as a market instead of a fundamental human right, there are many Canberrans who will need the government’s help.
“The public and community housing investments we’re announcing today, along with the homelessness funding announced last week, will provide a home for more people and deliver on commitments in the Parliamentary and Governing Agreement.
“The $80 million boost to public housing maintenance will ensure that public housing tenants are treated with the respect we would expect from any other landlord, and so people can be proud of their home.”
