Latest news with #HousingAustraliaFutureFund
AU Financial Review
12 hours ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
‘Frustration, desperation, fear' over delays in $10b housing fund
The federal government's $10 billion flagship Housing Australia Future Fund is choking on the volume of projects it took on in its first tender and needs an overhaul so building starts faster, developers and community housing providers say. The HAFF, as the fund is known, was set up in late 2023 as the first national project in decades with the aim of developing 40,000 new affordable rental homes for key workers and social housing units for low-income Australians.
The Age
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
Albanese should remember courage on housing cuts both ways
It takes a certain audacity to be both attacker and conciliator, except perhaps in politics, where this is often just part of the job, a dark art of the profession. This week we saw federal Housing Minister Clare O'Neil take on both roles. In an interview with The Age, the minister offered a defence of Labor's housing policies and its struggles to hit its targets, and in the process undertook a thinly veiled attack on the states. 'Planning laws at the state level are being used much too much to protect existing residents, and not enough to address the fact that we've got millions of people who are in housing distress. We need more housing of all kinds, and medium-density housing in the middle-ring suburbs is obviously going to be a really important part of the mix,' she said. This pivot on planning was noted in The Age's reporting as a notable shift. Three years ago, when federal Labor pledged in its budget to build 1 million properties between 2024 and mid-2029 (since upgraded to 1.2 million) it had very different avenues of action. It is likely to fall almost 300,000 short of the later target, according to the recent report State of the Housing System from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council. In fact, new housing supply was at its lowest point in a decade and woefully trailing demand. So what then of Labor's policies? At the recent election, it said it would guarantee 5 per cent deposits of all first home buyers to ease the burden of lenders' mortgage insurance. It would also provide $10 billion to equity programs with state government and private developers to build 100,000 homes for first-time buyers. In June 2023, Albanese announced a $2 billion fund called the Social Housing Accelerator. This was at a time when the Greens were blocking moves in the Senate related to Labor's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. Loading Having fought loudly for various of these measures against the opposition and the Greens, the government now appears to be crab-walking towards the last refuge of scoundrels in our Federation – blame-shifting. There were signs of this shift last week too when Andrew Leigh, assistant minister for productivity, competition, charities and treasury, gave a speech noting 'many of the levers lie with the states. And the systems need to change'. He launched a stinging attack on North Sydney Council in particular.
The Advertiser
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Labor vows to slash red tape to turbocharge housing
Breaking ground on delivering 1.2 million homes starts by untangling the maze of bureaucratic approvals, the federal government says. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has signalled a second-term Labor administration will move quickly to boost construction. "We've just been elected with a really clear mandate to improve our housing system in this country," she told reporters on Saturday. "We've got big reforms to implement, and not a day to waste in getting on with them." The minister vowed to simplify local, state and federal planning regulations by leading a council of planning ministers. "If we are going to address the housing needs of Australians, it is going to require the three levels of government to work together in new ways," she said. She will work with the building sector to implement innovative technologies to move past time consuming and costly methods of construction. Her comments come after an interview with ABC on Friday where she said "builders face a ridiculous thicket of red tape that is preventing them building the homes we need." Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the cost of building a home had skyrocketed by 40 per cent over the past five years while construction times had ballooned by 80 per cent over the past decade. "It is critical that we remove the red tape that is hampering our capacity to build homes," she said. Ms Wawn was hopeful the ambitious goal of 1.2 million homes coming onto the market would be achieved, but said the group's projections showed there could be a slight drop-off. She argued that along with the focus on reducing red tape, there was an urgent need to apprenticeships and fast-tracking migration for skilled people. "For the first time, the federal government is leaning in and trying to ensure that there is a focused attention on housing," she said. But opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg said the government's plans were a "joke" and described Labor as "red tape champions." "Labor's signature housing policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund has built zero new homes in three years," Senator Bragg said. "Approvals are way down under their watch and their 1.2 million new home target is a dead duck." The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Australia on Tuesday to boost housing supply and address falling affordability. The OECD said easing zoning restrictions would strengthen competition and productivity, as well as raise housing investment to "reverse the long-standing decline in housing affordability". Breaking ground on delivering 1.2 million homes starts by untangling the maze of bureaucratic approvals, the federal government says. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has signalled a second-term Labor administration will move quickly to boost construction. "We've just been elected with a really clear mandate to improve our housing system in this country," she told reporters on Saturday. "We've got big reforms to implement, and not a day to waste in getting on with them." The minister vowed to simplify local, state and federal planning regulations by leading a council of planning ministers. "If we are going to address the housing needs of Australians, it is going to require the three levels of government to work together in new ways," she said. She will work with the building sector to implement innovative technologies to move past time consuming and costly methods of construction. Her comments come after an interview with ABC on Friday where she said "builders face a ridiculous thicket of red tape that is preventing them building the homes we need." Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the cost of building a home had skyrocketed by 40 per cent over the past five years while construction times had ballooned by 80 per cent over the past decade. "It is critical that we remove the red tape that is hampering our capacity to build homes," she said. Ms Wawn was hopeful the ambitious goal of 1.2 million homes coming onto the market would be achieved, but said the group's projections showed there could be a slight drop-off. She argued that along with the focus on reducing red tape, there was an urgent need to apprenticeships and fast-tracking migration for skilled people. "For the first time, the federal government is leaning in and trying to ensure that there is a focused attention on housing," she said. But opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg said the government's plans were a "joke" and described Labor as "red tape champions." "Labor's signature housing policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund has built zero new homes in three years," Senator Bragg said. "Approvals are way down under their watch and their 1.2 million new home target is a dead duck." The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Australia on Tuesday to boost housing supply and address falling affordability. The OECD said easing zoning restrictions would strengthen competition and productivity, as well as raise housing investment to "reverse the long-standing decline in housing affordability". Breaking ground on delivering 1.2 million homes starts by untangling the maze of bureaucratic approvals, the federal government says. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has signalled a second-term Labor administration will move quickly to boost construction. "We've just been elected with a really clear mandate to improve our housing system in this country," she told reporters on Saturday. "We've got big reforms to implement, and not a day to waste in getting on with them." The minister vowed to simplify local, state and federal planning regulations by leading a council of planning ministers. "If we are going to address the housing needs of Australians, it is going to require the three levels of government to work together in new ways," she said. She will work with the building sector to implement innovative technologies to move past time consuming and costly methods of construction. Her comments come after an interview with ABC on Friday where she said "builders face a ridiculous thicket of red tape that is preventing them building the homes we need." Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the cost of building a home had skyrocketed by 40 per cent over the past five years while construction times had ballooned by 80 per cent over the past decade. "It is critical that we remove the red tape that is hampering our capacity to build homes," she said. Ms Wawn was hopeful the ambitious goal of 1.2 million homes coming onto the market would be achieved, but said the group's projections showed there could be a slight drop-off. She argued that along with the focus on reducing red tape, there was an urgent need to apprenticeships and fast-tracking migration for skilled people. "For the first time, the federal government is leaning in and trying to ensure that there is a focused attention on housing," she said. But opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg said the government's plans were a "joke" and described Labor as "red tape champions." "Labor's signature housing policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund has built zero new homes in three years," Senator Bragg said. "Approvals are way down under their watch and their 1.2 million new home target is a dead duck." The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Australia on Tuesday to boost housing supply and address falling affordability. The OECD said easing zoning restrictions would strengthen competition and productivity, as well as raise housing investment to "reverse the long-standing decline in housing affordability". Breaking ground on delivering 1.2 million homes starts by untangling the maze of bureaucratic approvals, the federal government says. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has signalled a second-term Labor administration will move quickly to boost construction. "We've just been elected with a really clear mandate to improve our housing system in this country," she told reporters on Saturday. "We've got big reforms to implement, and not a day to waste in getting on with them." The minister vowed to simplify local, state and federal planning regulations by leading a council of planning ministers. "If we are going to address the housing needs of Australians, it is going to require the three levels of government to work together in new ways," she said. She will work with the building sector to implement innovative technologies to move past time consuming and costly methods of construction. Her comments come after an interview with ABC on Friday where she said "builders face a ridiculous thicket of red tape that is preventing them building the homes we need." Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the cost of building a home had skyrocketed by 40 per cent over the past five years while construction times had ballooned by 80 per cent over the past decade. "It is critical that we remove the red tape that is hampering our capacity to build homes," she said. Ms Wawn was hopeful the ambitious goal of 1.2 million homes coming onto the market would be achieved, but said the group's projections showed there could be a slight drop-off. She argued that along with the focus on reducing red tape, there was an urgent need to apprenticeships and fast-tracking migration for skilled people. "For the first time, the federal government is leaning in and trying to ensure that there is a focused attention on housing," she said. But opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg said the government's plans were a "joke" and described Labor as "red tape champions." "Labor's signature housing policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund has built zero new homes in three years," Senator Bragg said. "Approvals are way down under their watch and their 1.2 million new home target is a dead duck." The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Australia on Tuesday to boost housing supply and address falling affordability. The OECD said easing zoning restrictions would strengthen competition and productivity, as well as raise housing investment to "reverse the long-standing decline in housing affordability".
West Australian
07-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Labor vows to slash red tape to turbocharge housing
Breaking ground on delivering 1.2 million homes starts by untangling the maze of bureaucratic approvals, the federal government says. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has signalled a second-term Labor administration will move quickly to boost construction. "We've just been elected with a really clear mandate to improve our housing system in this country," she told reporters on Saturday. "We've got big reforms to implement, and not a day to waste in getting on with them." The minister vowed to simplify local, state and federal planning regulations by leading a council of planning ministers. "If we are going to address the housing needs of Australians, it is going to require the three levels of government to work together in new ways," she said. She will work with the building sector to implement innovative technologies to move past time consuming and costly methods of construction. Her comments come after an interview with ABC on Friday where she said "builders face a ridiculous thicket of red tape that is preventing them building the homes we need." Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the cost of building a home had skyrocketed by 40 per cent over the past five years while construction times had ballooned by 80 per cent over the past decade. "It is critical that we remove the red tape that is hampering our capacity to build homes," she said. Ms Wawn was hopeful the ambitious goal of 1.2 million homes coming onto the market would be achieved, but said the group's projections showed there could be a slight drop-off. She argued that along with the focus on reducing red tape, there was an urgent need to apprenticeships and fast-tracking migration for skilled people. "For the first time, the federal government is leaning in and trying to ensure that there is a focused attention on housing," she said. But opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg said the government's plans were a "joke" and described Labor as "red tape champions." "Labor's signature housing policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund has built zero new homes in three years," Senator Bragg said. "Approvals are way down under their watch and their 1.2 million new home target is a dead duck." The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Australia on Tuesday to boost housing supply and address falling affordability. The OECD said easing zoning restrictions would strengthen competition and productivity, as well as raise housing investment to "reverse the long-standing decline in housing affordability".
Perth Now
07-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Labor vows to slash red tape to turbocharge housing
Breaking ground on delivering 1.2 million homes starts by untangling the maze of bureaucratic approvals, the federal government says. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has signalled a second-term Labor administration will move quickly to boost construction. "We've just been elected with a really clear mandate to improve our housing system in this country," she told reporters on Saturday. "We've got big reforms to implement, and not a day to waste in getting on with them." The minister vowed to simplify local, state and federal planning regulations by leading a council of planning ministers. "If we are going to address the housing needs of Australians, it is going to require the three levels of government to work together in new ways," she said. She will work with the building sector to implement innovative technologies to move past time consuming and costly methods of construction. Her comments come after an interview with ABC on Friday where she said "builders face a ridiculous thicket of red tape that is preventing them building the homes we need." Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the cost of building a home had skyrocketed by 40 per cent over the past five years while construction times had ballooned by 80 per cent over the past decade. "It is critical that we remove the red tape that is hampering our capacity to build homes," she said. Ms Wawn was hopeful the ambitious goal of 1.2 million homes coming onto the market would be achieved, but said the group's projections showed there could be a slight drop-off. She argued that along with the focus on reducing red tape, there was an urgent need to apprenticeships and fast-tracking migration for skilled people. "For the first time, the federal government is leaning in and trying to ensure that there is a focused attention on housing," she said. But opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg said the government's plans were a "joke" and described Labor as "red tape champions." "Labor's signature housing policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund has built zero new homes in three years," Senator Bragg said. "Approvals are way down under their watch and their 1.2 million new home target is a dead duck." The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Australia on Tuesday to boost housing supply and address falling affordability. The OECD said easing zoning restrictions would strengthen competition and productivity, as well as raise housing investment to "reverse the long-standing decline in housing affordability".
