WHAT exactly makes a home “affordable”?
It is a seemingly simple question that has become increasingly important as Australians grapple with rising rents, mortgage pressures and a shortage of housing within reach of low and moderate-income households.
National Shelter has backed a push to enshrine a definition of Affordable Housing in Commonwealth legislation, saying a national framework could end years of inconsistency between governments, programs and jurisdictions.
The proposal is contained in a Private Member’s Bill being introduced by Federal Member for Bradfield Nicolette Boele.
National Shelter CEO Jackson Hills said establishing a legislative definition would provide greater clarity about what governments and housing providers were actually delivering when projects were described as affordable.
“The introduction of Nicolette Boele MP’s Private Member’s Bill seeking to enshrine a definition of Affordable Housing in Commonwealth legislation will provide greater clarity, consistency and accountability across housing policy, investment, and delivery,” Mr Hills said.
“At a time when affordability challenges are affecting households across the housing continuum, a clear legislative definition can help ensure that governments, investors, providers, and communities work towards shared objectives.”
One of the key concerns is that the term “affordable housing” can mean different things depending on the government program, jurisdiction or development involved.
That can make it difficult for households to understand what affordable housing actually means and equally difficult to measure whether housing policies are delivering homes people on lower and moderate incomes can genuinely afford.
“For too long, Affordable Housing has been defined differently across programs, jurisdictions, and policy settings,” Mr Hills said.
