A federal agency dedicated to housing is needed for governments to reduce housing stress and homelessness, the government's economic advisory body has been told.
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An alliance of women's groups, and policy think tank the Grattan Institute, have told the Productivity Commission that changes at the Australian Public Service level would help address rising housing insecurity and unaffordability.
The Equality Rights Alliance told the commission, which is reviewing an agreement between federal and state governments on housing and homelessness, that housing policy work was scattered across different Commonwealth departments and agencies.
It called for a single federal agency focused solely on housing policy, led by a cabinet minister, to address the problems of homelessness and unaffordability.
In a statement, the Equality Rights Alliance's convenor Helen Dalley-Fisher said there must be proactive and cooperative leadership and a partnership underpinned by a shared vision, massively increased funding for social housing and a stronger public service that can support delivery.
"Australia should have a dedicated federal minister for housing in cabinet and a dedicated federal housing agency - steering high level conversations and action that reflects the urgency of the problem," she said.
A housing agency should have an advisory structure engaging with all jurisdictions and other major stakeholders including a peak body coalition of civil society housing organisations, the alliance said in a submission to the review.
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The agency would inform the development, resourcing and implementation of a future national housing and homelessness agreements, including through regular meetings between leaders of jurisdictions.
The ERA said it understood the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement had strengthened arrangements for information sharing on housing tied to Commonwealth funding, but the states and territories remained reluctant to share data.
"It goes some way to explain, perhaps, why federal leadership on housing has been so wayward with a lack of momentum to find constructive solutions over time," the alliance said.
"Further, the Australian Public Service has been hollowed out so there are fewer housing experts employed internally to support the Commonwealth's policy capacity."
The Grattan Institute told the Productivity Commission that the Commonwealth should give responsibility for housing research to an independent statutory body, which would be called Housing Australia.
Authors of the submission, Brendan Coates and Joey Moloney, recommended that the agency collect nationally consistent data on housing supply and demand, the operation of state and local government land-use planning systems, infrastructure charges, and migration.
"This more independent body could be used to hold the states to account on any government promise to boost housing supply and reform land-use planning rules," they wrote.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg directed the Productivity Commission to review the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement, which started in 2018 and will expire in June next year. It will be replaced for further terms of up to five years.
The agreement sets out responsibilities of the federal, state and territory governments in improving housing and sets nationally agreed objectives. Under the agreement the federal government provides $1.6 billion each year to the states and territories to improve access to housing.
Funding is conditional on states and territories having publicly available housing and homelessness strategies and helping improve data collection and reporting.
Ms Dalley-Fisher said housing was arguably the most fundamental cross-cutting issue confronting Australian governments. But the agreement was failing to make headway in reducing levels of housing stress and homelessness, especially for women, she said.
"Four years after the current NHHA came into force it isn't any easier to buy into the market, rent or access public housing. Conditions are undoubtedly worse for anyone on low income but especially for young women and older single women," she said.
"Older single women aged 55 and over are the fastest growing group to experience homelessness in Australia, with many being first-time users of the welfare system.
"Overall, women experience compounding disadvantages that make them more vulnerable to homelessness. Gendered and family violence is one of the main drivers of homelessness for women of all ages, made worse by the pandemic.
"Indigenous Australians, people with a mental illness or disability are also more likely than others to experience difficulty securing stable and affordable housing."
The commission's report is due before June 30.