- Last night's budget was announced; praise was offered by a few not-for-profits for some priorities
- BSL says additional reform is needed to put a dent in poverty
- PWDA say housing accessibility is still a problem, as is pressure on homelessness services
The Federal Budget was announced last night, including a suite of measures to tackle soaring cost of living, including increased rent assistance, and other homelessness measures.
Advocates for the most vulnerable said while many of the announcements were welcome, there were several missed opportunities, particularly in view of the surplus announced.
The opportunities include a rapid response housing fund and targeted assistance for accessible housing.
Energy efficiency investment welcomed by Better Renting
The tenancy advocacy group said the Budget commitment to $300 million for improving the energy efficiency of social housing properties was a step in the right direction.
Government estimates, as cited by Better Renting, showed that some 60,000 households will see their energy bills reduced by about a third.
“Making rental homes more energy efficient is a long-term solution to the cost of living, meaning lower power bills and healthier, more comfortable homes. While bill relief can help as a once-off, energy efficiency is a lasting solution that will bring benefits for years to come,” said Better Renting Executive Director, Joel Dignam.
“The social housing renters we hear from tell us it’s a real struggle to keep their homes at a decent temperature, which often has harmful effects on their health. Making it easier and cheaper for people to stay warm in winter is a great step.
Paving the path
The Community Housing Industry Association has endorsed the Federal budget’s commitment to electrification and energy performance in social housing alongside new incentives for build-to-rent projects but warned there is still a way to go to tackle the mammoth challenge.
“Rising rents are hitting household budgets hard. While the federal budget doesn’t tackle the crisis completely, it does pave a path forward to fix it,” said Community Housing Industry Association chief executive officer Wendy Hayhurst.
Hayhurst also welcomed the investment into the homelessness sector.
“The government’s decision to extend funding to cover the wages of homelessness services workers is also applauded. We look forward to the government continuing to invest in and work with the housing and homelessness sectors as it develops its new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement.”
Among the missed opportunities, Hayhurst highlighted the opportunity to set up a rapid response housing fund, where community housing organisations could acquire suitable distressed new build properties or rental homes.
Rent assistance not enough
Everybody’s Home has criticised the Budget for not doing enough to tackle housing affordability.
“The budget has no plan to end Australia’s massive shortfall in social homes. Instead of acting on the biggest living cost facing Australians, it is tinkering around the edges,” said Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize.
“Tonight’s changes to Commonwealth Rent Assistance won’t make housing more affordable overall.
“Two in three people on JobSeeker and nine in ten people on Youth Allowance will miss out on rent assistance altogether, and those who do get a small increase will find that it has been swallowed by surging rents.”
Maiy Azize, Everybody’s Home spokesperson
Budget ‘only a start’ for serious poverty reduction
The Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL), a social justice organisation working to prevent and alleviate poverty across Australia, welcomes the Budget’s moves to provide relief, says BSL Executive Director Travers McLeod.
The Budget’s priorities of lifting Jobseeker and related payments, alleviating energy price pain, reducing medical and healthcare costs, and scraping the ParentsNext program were well received by BSL.
“Many of the investments made in the Federal Budget will be life-changing, if not lifesaving,” he said.
But McLeod added this can only be a start if Australia is serious about making poverty reduction a higher national priority.
“Substantial economic and social reform will be required through multiple budgets for sustainable growth and to safeguard and improve the essential services Australians depend on,” he said.
PWDA welcomes Budget commitment to NDIS
The Treasurer’s assurance that the NDIS is here to stay was applauded by People with Disability Australia (PWDA), says PWDA President Nicole Lee.
“Following recent concerns, we’re buoyed that the 8% target growth for the NDIS is a target and not a cap and that the NDIS will remain demand-driven,” she said.
The $14.1 million for over two years for Covid payments was also well-received by the PWDA, but some disappointment was expressed that a dedicated national housing plan for people with disability was not a priority.
“Inaccessible housing is a long-lasting issue on top of the unaffordability of housing, so measures through a national housing plan for people with disability would have addressed accessibility barriers and affordability barriers,” Ms Lee said.
Budget to aid struggling renters but pressure on homelessness services remains
Last night’s Federal Budget funnelled much-needed money into the hands of struggling renters, but the pressure on homelessness services will continue, says Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin.
The increases to the base rate of JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and Austudy were a welcome addition but will be overshadowed by further rental increases, according to Colvin.
“Every dollar helps but unfortunately many recipients will still be treading water and more rent rises will continue.”
Kate Colvin, Homelessness Australia CEO
Colvin pointed to a missed opportunity to invest in a rapid rehousing fund to acquire properties that could be almost immediately made available to homeless families.
“While the Budget includes a financial surplus, it has left a social deficit of unresolved homelessness that will create hardship for families and financial costs to the community in future years,” she said.
Colvin added there are a range of other investments that could have a positive effect on reducing homelessness, such as resources for First Nations remote housing in the Northern Territory and programs to respond to domestic and family violence for women and children in First Nations communities.
However, Colvin approved a few of the Budget’s investments.
“We welcome the government’s decision to extend the investment in funds for the Equal Remuneration Order by one year, to expand eligibility for Parenting Payment Single, and to increase income support for people who have been unemployed for more than nine months and who are over 55,” she said.
