In this section:

• Shelter NSW: Housing directions statement
• Tenant's Union of NSW: Tenancy Policy
• ARCH: Election statement
• Articles

In the lead-up to the State election, Shelter NSW has prepared the following paper outlining key issues and policies. It will be circulated to all candidates and to Shelter NSW's constituency.

Issues covered include:

• A State Housing Plan
• Social housing
• Affordable housing
• Private rental market
• Homelessness

This document contains the Tenants' Union's policy recommendations for addressing each of the five priority areas, for the consideration of all parties.

Issues covered include:

1. Reform of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987, in particular to provide:
   • protections against unjust terminations;
   • protections against unfair rent increases;
   • rights for victims of domestic violence;
   • resolution of share housing and co-tenancy disputes; and
   • rights for tenants whose goods are unlawfully destroyed or disposed of by their landlords at the end of a tenancy.
2. Legislated rights for boarders and lodgers
3. Legislation against tenant databases
4. Growth and enhancement of affordable housing, including social housing
5. Retention of accommodation on residential parks

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Summary of Recommendations

1. Expand Co-operative Housing
   That the NSW Government make a firm political and program commitment to growing the co-operative housing sector in NSW by at least 100 dwellings per annum
2. Re-new title and equity options for Co-operative Housing
   That the NSW Government commits itself to re-structuring the title and equity options between the Government and co-operatives to provide a range of flexible options
3. Develop a Co-operative Housing Strategy with a Range of Models
   That the State Government develop a Co-operative Housing Strategy that reestablishes the NSW Co-operative Housing Program as a clearly demarcated subprogram within Community Housing, defining a range of available models within the program
4. Support for Tenants' Right to Manage social housing
   That the NSW Government consider greater management rights to social housing tenants and adopts a policy that supports tenants' 'right to manage' as an option with financial assistance to form tenant managed housing co-operatives

More social housing: an election priority
by Catherine Mahony
March 2003

To effectively deal with poverty and disadvantage, access to affordable, secure housing must be guaranteed. Without this basic need being met, other critical factors such as education, employment and health cannot be properly addressed. The chronic lack of social housing in New South Wales has been an issue for many years and has been consistently raised by NCOSS, other peaks, local government and regional organisations across the state.

The number of applicants on the public housing waiting list has continued to grow over the past five years. As the table below demonstrates, in the last 12 months the number of applicants on the waiting list has increased by 3,224.

While the state government's expenditure on social housing has been predominately funded through the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement, the anticipated decline in the Commonwealth's contribution requires a state government response that moves beyond demand management. There is an urgent need for substantially more capital investment in social housing to meet the very high demand reflected by the numbers on the waiting list.

NCOSS has called on the government to double the amount of social housing stock over the next 10 years. In the next 12 months, and on a continuing basis for the next 10 years, this will require a 10% increase in social housing stock or an additional 12,821 units of housing per year. In the lead up to the state election we are also lobbying all candidates to support this recommendation.

Yes this does represent a major financial investment. The lack of social housing is now major problem in New South Wales and there is no point in underestimating the real cost of addressing this need.

A sustainable future for the social housing system will require a major injection of additional funds from the state government and a long-term commitment to meeting demand. It will also require a range of strategies that consider a number of revenue streams, (land tax, stamp duty, superannuation funds) and practical incentives for the growth of community housing, including title transfer.

This article was originaly published in NCOSS News (March 2003) - the NCOSS newsletter for NCOSS members. You can subscribe to NCOSS News by becoming a member [membership info]