Procuring Social and Affordable Housing Final Industry Report, Project 1.54

Abstract

Housing is an integrated network of social and economic infrastructure with multiple owners and access points.
Improving the overall suitability and provision of housing infrastructure (for example incorporating new typologies to suit changing demographics) is needed to address the central issue of affordability and access for all.
To address current issues of access to social and affordable housing in Australia, we need to:
– Better understand the changing nature, needs and demographics of each housing cohort
– Diversify our housing responses, seeking innovative and perhaps informal approaches to build system resilience

Government at all three levels (Commonwealth, State and Local) can take a proactive role in addressing current issues by identifying those that fall into their jurisdiction, including issues of long term policy setting, transparency and risk.
The latter is a major component in restricting large-scale investment and has a significant impact on the various investment hurdle rates; however, under the right conditions, the risk is an imputed cost/rate which may never be realised.
Therefore, if such risks were removed the required investment rate would be substantially reduced, and potentially the costs associated with various housing-related activities and their externalities would also be reduced.