The Albanese Labor Government is delivering more than 13,700 new social and affordable homes across Australia to deliver the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in over a decade.
The first round of Labor’s Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord programs will deliver 4,220 social and 9,522 affordable homes, including 1,267 homes for women and children escaping domestic violence and older women at risk of homelessness.
In just the first round of these programs, the Albanese Government is directly supporting more social and affordable housing than the Liberals and Nationals did in their entire nine years in office.
Housing Australia has recommended contract negotiations for 185 projects, with construction on almost 40 per cent of the 13,742 dwellings forecast to get underway this financial year.
Round one of the programs’ funding will unlock $9.2 billion of investment in social and affordable housing across Commonwealth, State and Territory government, and the private and community housing sectors.
The programs will provide an ongoing funding stream to build 40,000 social and affordable housing projects, with applications for round two opening in the next 6-months.
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
“I grew up in social housing – I know how important a roof over your head is and the opportunities it creates.
“The first round of funding under our Housing Australia Future Fund will deliver thousands of social and affordable homes across Australia for those that need it most.”
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Clare O’Neil:
“The Commonwealth Government is back in the game of delivering social and affordable houses at scale, working with all levels of government and the community housing sector to deliver the biggest investment in social housing in over a decade.
“It shows the Coalition’s utter disregard for housing that in just the first round of this program, Labor is supporting more social and affordable homes than the Coalition did in their entire nine years in office.
“We want to reduce the stress of housing for Australians – the long waits on housing lists, the long queues for rentals, the out of reach deposit for first home buyers – we’ll reduce these issues if we build more houses, and that’s what these projects do.
“We’re building homes for renters, homes for first-home buyers, and homes for women and children escaping domestic violence and those at risk from homelessness, because more homes means more affordable housing for everyone."