Category Archives: News

CHIA calls for national housing strategy

Federal National Affordable Housing Agreement News No Comments

CHIA Chair Michael Lennon has told the Senate Economics References Committee inquiry into the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) that a national housing strategy is absolutely critical to fix Australia’s social housing shortfall

Michael told the Senate inquiry that halting and reversing the decline of social housing stock over the past 15 years would take a significant commitment from all levels of government and all political parties, over several decades and is unlikely to be achieved without national oversight

The inquiry is investigating the development of an agreement that will replace the existing National Affordable Housing Agreement between the states and the Commonwealth, which has failed to deliver an increase in social housing over the past decade.

The new agreement presents the perfect opportunity for the states and the Commonwealth to collaborate on a National Housing Strategy to guide investment over the longer term, Michael told the inquiry.

‘A National Housing Strategy is one of the missing pieces of the puzzle. If the NHHA legislation requires states and territories to have housing and homelessness strategies, it is entirely appropriate that the Commonwealth also has a National Strategy,’ Michael said.

‘In fact, it makes no sense to plan otherwise.’

Michael also detailed the core elements that needed to be included in state and territory housing strategies, such as specific targets and strategies to improve Indigenous housing outcomes, mechanisms to support the bond aggregator in providing long-term and low cost finance for social housing, and consistent national regulation and standards to be applied equally to community and public housing.

Michael also argued that the states and territories should transfer 50 per cent of public housing dwellings to the community housing sector.

‘Community housing is the only arm of social housing which is growing in size, capacity, and sophistication. Unlike public housing, community housing has a strong track record of leveraging assets to increase the number and quality of social housing dwellings.

‘Expanding the community housing sector also provides healthy competition and promotes choice for tenants.’

Download CHIA’s full submission to the inquiry.

Why you should join CHIA in 2018

News No Comments

Do you want to have a say on affordable and community housing issues in 2018? Then this is the year to join CHIA.

Happy new capital gains discount

News No Comments

Effective today, the Federal Government will lift the capital gains tax discount from 50 to 60 per cent to Australian residents who invest in qualifying affordable housing.

The government has clarified that tenant eligibility and rental payments will be determined by registered community housing providers, consistent with state and territory affordable housing policies.

Taxpayers must hold the property for use as affordable housing for an aggregate of three years in order to access the additional discount.

We look forward to seeing the legislation hit parliament in February and seeing the details from the states and territories re its implementation.

Media Release: New housing agreement outcomes under threat

News No Comments

The ability of a new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement to deliver an increase in social housing will be reduced by the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw $6.5 million to monitor its effectiveness, the peak body for community housing has warned.

CEO of the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA), Peta Winzar says the old National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) did not deliver more social housing because of a lack of transparency and she fears the new agreement will meet the same fate.

Assistant Minister to the Treasurer, Michael Sukkar MP, told a meeting of community housing providers in September: ‘The Federal Government contributes $1.3 billion a year under the NAHA, we have done so for more than a decade…and on virtually every measure in that decade we have seen housing worsen. We have seen social and public housing stock decrease in many jurisdictions.’

Minister Sukkar cited the old agreement’s lack of impact as the motivation for creating a new agreement that would require the State’s to demonstrate the effectiveness of the funding in adding more social housing stock.

Despite this, the Federal Government’s Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook statement has reneged on its commitment to set aside $6.5m over four years for the National Competition Council to monitor the effectiveness of the new agreement. Instead, the Department of Treasury will be asked to assist with the implementation and ongoing assessment of the new agreement, using existing resources.

‘Monitoring this agreement requires a level of expertise in housing,’ Ms Winzar says. ‘We need to learn lessons from the failings of the old agreement and ensure Federal funds are spent in a way that delivers the safe, affordable and appropriate social housing that is so desperately needed.’

‘Perhaps the government could rethink the $10m it is setting aside for a communications on its housing affordability measures – and direct some of those funds to ensuring the measures are working in a transparent and effective way.’

New Chair for CHPs for QLD

News Qld No Comments

CHPs for Qld/CHIA Qld has a new Chair with experienced and independent board member Anne-Maree Keane elected to the role. Anne-Maree is Partner Transaction Services at KPMG Australia and has over 20 years’ experience in accounting including a Fellowship of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and a Fellowship of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. Her expertise includes acquisition, due diligence, transaction and negotiation support, deal support, valuations and data analytics.

The former Chair, Jo Ahern, has been appointed as CEO position.

‘Having held the role of Chair over the last seven months and having worked closely with CHIA and other state/national players, I am really looking forward to this change in role and working to achieve our new strategic goals,’ Ms Ahern says.

‘Linda Cupitt, our EO will step down in the coming week or so, after providing a handover. As you would be aware, Linda has worked really well with the board over the last year and has contributed substantially to the board’s achievement of many of our goals including cementing our relationship we CHIA. We are sad to see Linda go but she has other professional and personal plans; hence her decision. The board and I wish Linda the very best and we look forward to maintaining this relationship.’

Budget Federal Innovation National Affordable Housing Agreement National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation News No Comments

CHIA has started work on what we want to see in the 2018 Federal Budget to improve housing affordability and we want your ideas. However, time is short, so you’ll need to get them to us fast!

In an unusually early start to the Budget process this year, the Treasurer has asked for Budget submissions to be lodged by mid-December. This means we will need to get your policy proposals by December 1, 2017, so we can finalise our submission by the deadline.

If you have ideas to improve housing affordability for renters or for home buyers, ideas to increase housing supply, or ideas to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, then we want to hear them.

We are particularly interested in your proposals for reforming taxes – not just the well-rehearsed suggestions like changes to negative gearing and the Capital Gains Tax, but ideas for the other quirky bits of the tax system that make it difficult to do business, create inconsistent outcomes, or could create big opportunities for change. (For example: enabling developers to claim gift deductibility on their tax if they donate housing stock to charities could encourage developers to increase the amount of affordable housing in developments. Currently, donated stock can’t be regarded as a gift if it has been transferred as a condition of a planning permit that requires the provision of affordable housing.)

So send us your ideas – anything from a couple of sentences to a page is fine. Here are a few questions that will help us pull all the ideas together: What is the problem that needs to be fixed? What are good arguments in support of this proposal? Will it benefit any particular group (for example, older renters, people living in regional areas, Indigenous Australians, first home buyers)? Would it affect many people? How much is it likely to cost or save? Is the wider community likely to support or oppose it?

Email your ideas through to [email protected]

Housing issue ignored in Qld campaign

News Qld No Comments

Almost half of all low-income households in Queensland are suffering from housing stress due to a failure of governments to address the issue.

Despite a 13 per cent increase in federal funding over the past seven years, Queensland continues to lag behind the rest of the country in supplying social and affordable housing according to the state’s peak body for community housing providers (CHPs).

Chair of CHPs for Queensland, Josephine Ahern, said the issue was of vital importance to Queensland but one that’s probably not on the political radar of parties during the current campaign.

Read CHPs for Qld’s media release.

News NSW No Comments

National Tier one and largest not for profit housing provider, Community Housing Limited (CHL) is excited at the prospect of providing social housing to over 2,200 more people on the NSW Mid North Coast.

In an announcement made by the NSW Minister for Social Housing, Pru Goward, CHL was successful in its tender under the Social Housing Management Transfer Program for the Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Nambucca areas.

CHL will take management responsibility for around 1,300 additional properties, currently managed by Family and Community Services (FACS). Alongside this portfolio growth, CHL will also take responsibility for managing all applications for social housing and private rental assistance in the area, and will take a lead role in coordinating the social housing and homelessness sector across the Mid North Coast region.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for CHL to provide more services to more people, in places where the company has a long history of serving the community”, says Steve Bevington, Managing Director of Community Housing Ltd.

The NSW Government is transferring the management of around 14,000 social housing tenancies to community housing providers by 2019 bringing the total stock under management by community housing providers to 32 per cent.

Properties are scheduled to transfer in late 2018 with the NSW Government maintaining ownership of all of the properties and leasing them to CHL for a 20-year period.

“CHL is looking forward to working closely with tenants and communities, our key partners in the region and FACS over the coming months, to make the transfer a success and improving the overall social housing outcomes in the region,” adds Dr Lucy Burgmann, NSW State Manager for CHL.

This transfer will close to double the total number of properties under CHL’s management in NSW to 2,900 bringing the total national portfolio to around 7,500 properties.

Federal Innovation National Affordable Housing Agreement News No Comments

CHIA Chair Michael Lennon has been asked to take part in an innovative community engagement initiative that aims to connect everyday Australians with decision-makers and experts and develop solutions to key issues.

The not-for-profit Australian Futures Project is running the #WTF (What’s the Future?) project over four weeks this month, covering four key issues facing Australians: the energy crisis; the future of work; housing affordability; and, thriving kids.

On Monday, October 23, Mr Lennon will be one of eight housing affordability experts fielding questions from the public via various #WTF social media channels. The public will then be invited to contribute their solutions to the issues, which will be added to a report that brings together the facts and discussion and will be used to inform a roundtable debate by decision-makers.

Community organisations will then be funded to act on solutions.

CHIA members and stakeholders are encouraged to be part of the debate. Go to the #WTF website for details on how to take part.

1,201 NSW public housing transferred to community housing

News NSW No Comments

Leading Sydney community housing organisations Bridge Housing and Women’s Housing Company have been awarded the NSW Government tender to manage 1,201 public housing tenancies in the northern beaches for the next 20 years.

The winning partnership under the Social Housing Management Transfer Program will see the two experienced housing organisations take over management of the properties over the next 20 months and assume all housing customer service functions – allocations, tenancy and maintenance – previously delivered by Department of Family and Community Services in the area. Bridge will also be responsible for managing and coordinating services support from government and non-government organisations.

The Minister for Family and Community Services, the Hon. Pru Goward, today announced the winners of all nine packages, representing 14,000 public housing properties across New South Wales, including three portfolios in metropolitan Sydney. Bridge Housing CEO John Nicolades said: ‘I am delighted that Bridge Housing’s enormous investment in the past three years in becoming fit for significant growth has paid off. Over the past decade, we have successfully integrated public housing estates and multi-unit developments into our tenancy management, including in Balmain and South Coogee, but on a much smaller scale.

‘Our two organisations will separately manage housing in the northern beaches portfolio but with an alignment of best practice processes and principles, and with Bridge Housing as the contractual partner with government.

‘I am confident that our new northern beaches tenants will feel welcome and supported and that the government will see its housing assets very well maintained under the combined management of Bridge Housing and Women’s Housing Company.’

Women’s Housing Company CEO Debbie Georgopoulos said: “Women’s Housing Company brings our specialisation in housing and supporting single, vulnerable women to the partnership and will manage 12.5 per cent of the new portfolio, focussing on locations where single women are housed.’

‘Our partnership with Bridge Housing will enable us both to do what we have been doing best for more than 30 years and for Women’s Housing Company to house more people from one of the fastest growing demographics of homeless in Australia.’

Bridge Housing’s portfolio will grow from around 2,000 properties to some 3,100 properties while Women’s Housing Company will grow from almost 750 properties to over 900 properties. The Package 8 portfolio stretches across Mosman and the newly formed North Beaches local government areas and comprises houses, townhouses and units, 724 of them one-bedroom units or studios. The vast majority of households are single person and about 50 per cent of tenants are women. Tenants will remain in their current homes under the management transfer.

Bridge Housing and Women’s Housing Company will keep new and existing tenants informed as information about the transition process becomes available.

(With thanks to Bridge Housing for this article)

Housing hub home for disabled dwellings

Federal Innovation NDIS News No Comments

HOUSING HUB IS HOME FOR DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION

The Housing Hub is a new way for Community Housing Providers to list their disability housing vacancies, and people with disability to find suitable housing.

The housinghub.org.au website:

lists housing vacancies for people with a disability, including NDIS housing, existing Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) properties, new SDA builds, non-SDA supported accommodation, private rental and properties for sale
enables eligible people to submit an Expression of Interest in NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation housing
has a library of useful information about housing options and planning your move.

The Housing Hub will continue to grow and develop nationally, with more vacancies, features and information continually being added. Help make the site a success for people with disability by spreading the word and sharing the link housinghub.org.au

Landscape shift for affordable housing

Bond aggregator Budget Federal Innovation National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation News No Comments

Landscape shift for affordable housing

Attendees of an affordable housing symposium, held at Griffith University, heard CHIA CEO Peta Winzar speak about the Federal Government’s September release of key reports, draft legislation and a consultation paper, which collectively signal a major shift in government thinking in relation to financing social and affordable housing.

Ms Winzar told the symposium that these four measures, together with some complementary budget measures announced by some state governments this year, have the potential to significantly alter the financing landscape for affordable housing.

The Affordable Housing Working Group,

The Affordable Housing Working Group, which was set up by state and federal treasurers to investigate innovative ways to finance affordable housing has released its report with three recommendations.

Its prescription for closing the funding gap between rents and operating costs contain no surprises – targets, planning mechanisms, tax reform, contributions from affordable housing providers, and so on. This is a list which could have been written a decade ago.

While it acknowledges the need to increase direct subsidies for affordable housing, the working group’s report stops short of suggesting how this might be done.

The report does contain some good examples of how to increase housing supply at no cost or low cost to government, for example, redevelopment of public housing properties, with the government getting a return either in cash or in replacement dwellings, or government taking a share of the profit from development of government land, in partnership with a developer or a CHO, or cross-subsidisation through a mix of market sale, affordable sale, affordable and social rent in a development

It also makes some valuable recommendations about strengthening the regulatory framework for community housing, and overhauling the national industry development framework for community housing.

Bond Aggregator

The aim of the bond aggregator (BA) is to raise institutional finance at scale from the wholesale bond market and then lend the money to Community Housing Providers (CHPs) for longer terms and at a cheaper rate than those offered by banks. The CHPs would apply for loans, pay a small fee towards the administrative costs of the BA and their borrowings would then be aggregated.

The government’s proposal is for the Bond Aggregator to sit under the new National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), but there are still some design issues to be sorted out, for example:

Exactly how long the term of the bond would be – probably up to 10 years. This would give CHPs certainty about financing costs and remove the need for them to renegotiate with their bank every three to five years
How much cheaper the BA would be – this would depend on the credit-worthiness of the community housing sector and whether the government guarantees the bond
the proposal that the borrowing be secured against the title of properties held by the CHP, which raises interesting questions about the conditions under which state governments would allow properties under long-term management by CHPs to be used as security for a loan.

Treasury is seeking feedback on these questions and others as part of its broader consultation on the structure and operation of the NHFIC.

NHIF report

The Commonwealth Government is currently running a consultation on the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF) and the NHFIC. What’s innovative about this in a housing context is that it is a legislated vehicle at the Commonwealth level but it will be able to invest in City Deals at the state and territory level.

It will also be able to invest in projects at the government’s direction and the aim is for its investment returns to enable it to be self-sustaining over the medium term.

Note that it is intended to prioritise development projects with an affordable housing component.

The consultation paper on the NHFIC and the NHIF is on the Treasury website, consultation closes on 20 October 2017.

You can download Ms Winzar’s presentation here.

Federal NDIS News No Comments

The Summer Foundation and AHURI are conducting a national study into the demand & supply of specialist disability accomodation (SDA) NDIS housing and are seeking community housing organisations’support to complete the provider survey.

The main survey aims to obtain information about current SDA dwellings. An optional survey focuses on SDA dwellings that are under construction or soon to be.

Click here to complete the online survey,

All organisations that participate in the survey will receive notification and a final copy of the SDA Housing Demand report. Those that complete the optional section will receive a copy of the early findings, ahead of final report publication.

We are seeking completion of survey responses by the 17th October 2017.

If you have any queries related to completion of the survey, please email [email protected]

If you have any more general enquiries, please contact [email protected]

CHL supports kids dreams

Innovation News Tasmania No Comments

Community Housing Ltd (CHL) has helped four disadvantaged young people achieve their dreams through its scholarship program, which is now in its fourth year.

CHL awarded the cash grant scholarships to young people in Launceston, Tasmania, to help them achieve their sporting, education or artistic goals and set them up for a career.

The program is now fully self-supporting with active participation from the communities its supported, The previous recipients are all still working or studying in their chosen fields.

Click here to read more.

News No Comments

The Community Housing Industry Association of Australia will hold its Annual General Meeting at 11am on Wednesday 29 November 2017 in Room C.21 at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Elections that will take place at the AGM
All positions on the CHIA Board of Directors will fall vacant at the AGM.

There are 12 positions on the CHIA Board:

Eight Directors classified as ‘Region Directors’ (one from each state and territory) serve for annual terms
Four Directors classified as ‘Additional Directors’ (also known as national directors who are elected by broad vote of full membership across Australia) serve for two-year terms.

As a voting member of CHIA you can nominate for, and vote on, the position of Region Director or Additional director on the CHIA Board and for the positions on your Regional Committee. Please note, however, that if you have not paid your renewal fee for 2017-2018 before 17 October 2017 you will not be eligible. We encourage members to consider nominating for the Regional Director position and the Additional Director position to ensure the Board of the national industry body benefits from input and perspectives from all states and territories.

Regional Committee members are elected for two year terms with half the Committee members retiring annually by rotation. CHIA Board and Regional Committee members retiring by normal rotation can re-nominate to fill vacancies.

Region Director
A Region Director is a representative of a State or Territory who has been voted on to the board by voting members in that jurisdiction, other than in New South Wales and Victoria. The Region Director also acts as the Chairperson for the Regional Committee in his or her home jurisdiction. In New South Wales and Victoria the state peak body will nominate the region director for the CHIA Board.

Nomination Process for Directors
Candidates for Director Positions must be members of CHIA or employees of a CHIA member. The following steps must be followed in all states except New South Wales and Victoria:

The candidate must be formally nominated, in writing, by two voting members as a candidate for the position of Director. In the case of Regional Director, those members must be from the same jurisdiction as the nominee. The nomination papers must be received thirty business days before the schedule date for the AGM.
The candidate must notify CHIA in writing of their consent to act as Director by 17 October 2017 (30 business days before the AGM).
CHIA notifies members of every candidate for election at least seven days before the AGM.

Voting Process for Directors
Only full CHIA members have the right to vote. These are known in the constitution as ‘voting members’. Associate members do not have the right to vote in these elections.

Directors will be elected by ordinary resolution of the voting members present in person or represented by proxy at an annual general meeting (effectively a postal vote).

Candidates are only elected if they have received more than 50 per cent of votes cast. If there are two or more candidates for a Regional Director position, the candidate with the most votes will win the election, so long as they have received 50 per cent of votes cast.

Regional Committees
The constitution obliges the CHIA Board to establish a Regional Committee once there are three or more voting members in that jurisdiction. Regional committees comprise the Region Director for that Region (the chairperson) plus up to 11 additional members. In addition:

There can only be one regional committee per jurisdiction.
A regional committee member need not be a CHIA member or employed by a CHIA member.
Regional committee members are not officers of CHIA merely by holding that position.

In New South Wales and Victoria the state peak body performs the role of the regional committee.

Nominating Regional Committees Representatives
Candidates in a particular jurisdiction are entitled to nominate for the representative committee in that jurisdiction alone. They must send a nomination form to CHIA by 17 October, 2017 signed by the voting member nominating the candidate.

Next Steps
Nomination forms for the CHIA Director and Region Committee positions, as well as a Director’s consent form are attached below. Nomination forms should be completed and returned to CHIA before October 17, 2017, in order to be considered for election at the AGM. Those nominating for the CHIA Director position must also complete the Director’s consent form.

Please direct questions about the AGM or election process to Shelly Forceville at the CHIA office via [email protected] or call 0412 804 989.

Download the nomination forms here:

News No Comments

The Community Housing Federation of Victoria celebrated its brand new day on September 28 when it officially rebranded as CHIA Vic, complete with new marketing collateral, website and signage.

CHIA Vic CEO Lesley Dredge said that now more than ever, the industry needs strong representation at state and national levels and aligning our branding will assist us in providing clear and consistent messaging about our sector.

‘National issues have a state impact and we want to do what we can to promote community housing as a strong and united industry,’ Ms Dredge said.

You can check out the new website at chiavic.com.au and update your contacts by switching the latter part of email addresses with @chiavic.com.au