Housing is a critical social issue. Commentators when discussing housing often say that the system is “broken”. But the market-driven system is not a failure for those who are becoming multi-millionaires from it. While increasing numbers of Australians are trying to cope with homelessness, housing stress and growing insecurity a handful make obscene profits. For most of us the system is rigged as housing policy has been deliberately designed to prioritise profit over the housing needs of communities.

Universal public housing - homes for all

Housing is a human right. Everyone has a right to secure, sustainable and affordable housing.

More and more Australians live with housing stress. This is because successive governments have left housing up to the market place rather than introducing policies that ensure everyone has a home. At the state level governments have sold off public housing estates and allowed a ruthless rental market to flourish.

The era of private ownership of a home as the way to obtain secure, stable housing is a myth for not just young people but many older people, particularly older women.

Housing is a critical social issue. Commentators when discussing housing often say that the system is “broken”. But the market-driven system is not a failure for those who are becoming multi-millionaires from it. While increasing numbers of Australians are trying to cope with homelessness, housing stress and growing insecurity a handful make obscene profits. For most of us the system is rigged as housing policy has been deliberately designed to prioritise profit over the housing needs of communities.

More countries are introducing a universal housing policy. This human right is implemented by allowing everyone to apply for a home under the nation’s social and public housing schemes. 

The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden all have social housing programs with universal eligibility. The Housing First model, pioneered in Finland, provides anyone who is homeless or facing that prospect with a home. Finnish people have unconditional access to secure, independent and stable housing.

Governments offering this housing model have found it saves them money compared with the costs of providing services for people who do not have a home. Housing First stands in sharp contrast to the conditional, means-tested programs available to people who are homeless in Australia.

Some governments balance their housing stock with a large, vibrant social housing sector. In many European countries it's between 20-30%, whereas in Australia our social housing sector makes up less than 5% of stock.

Housing - current state of play

• The number of people who are homeless rose across Australia by 14% between 2011-16.The Council to Homeless Persons have highlighted figures that show the number of employed Australians seeking help for homelessness has jumped by almost 30% in three years.
• Two of every five people who are homeless are under the age of 25 years.
• In 2016-17, 288,000 people were assisted by official homelessness services.
• Social and public housing waiting times have exploded. For example, in every district of Sydney, Eastern and Northern, the waiting time for 2+ bedroom properties is more than 10 years.
• There are about 1.5 million households paying more than 30% of their income on rent or mortgage repayments.
• A report by Professor Kristy Muir found that almost 80% of new housing stock is being priced at the upper end of the housing market 

Homes for All - how it is achievable

Housing development should not be driven by property speculators, real estate agents and developers. Government housing policy should be based on a commitment to deliver homes for all by boosting public and social housing across the country.

A universal housing scheme that provides a home to all those who need one should be a state and territory government priority. This policy could be activated with a Federal Housing Trust that assists community organisations, local councils and state governments with funds to deliver such a universal scheme. Creating a bigger, more diverse social housing sector will go a long way to reclaiming housing as a human right.

As the housing stock of such a scheme would be publicly-owned it will be possible to mandate for improved environmental sustainability. This means homes built and maintained according to high energy efficiency and water recycling requirements. All homes would meet mobility and accessibility standards.

As many people will remain reliant on the rental market in the short term we need a national scheme to prohibit ‘no grounds’ evictions, to limit rent rises to a maximum of the CPI and the rises to occur only once a year and to establish standards so all rental properties are liveable.

Greens and Labor election policies

The Australian Greens aim for minimal waiting times on public housing waiting lists and urgent and sufficient funding to reduce current waiting lists for public and community housing. They want public housing that is accessible, affordable, secure, habitable and in locations that provide reasonable access to employment, health-care, public transport, schools and other social facilities; and adequate investment in public and community housing throughout the community to ensure its social and economic viability.

Labor’s focus is more on housing affordability for first home buyers and renters in the private sector, but it is also committed to more public housing, including for Australia’s First Nations. These policies are a major feature of Labor’s federal election policy.

These policies deserve strong support at the May 18 election.

The future where housing is a human right

Small scale reforms to taxes and government funding will not solve the problems that the for-profit housing system has created. We need to take on the speculators and their political backers who profit from the current system. Homes for all delivered via a Universal Housing Scheme is the pathway to achieving the transformative change our times demand. We need to allocate homes according to people’s needs, increase investment in domestic construction and end all eligibility restrictions.

This statement and the related policy papers are presented as part of the SEARCH Foundation’s work for a democratic, ecological, socialist Australia, based on increased public and social ownership, cooperative mechanisms and workers self-management, that enable people to have an effective voice in all decision-making. Please share them with your networks in the community and at work.

Authorised by L Whitington, SEARCH Foundation, Suite 8, Level 5, 377 Sussex St, Sydney NSW 2000. May 2019. www.search.org.au