Member for Indi, Helen Haines, said governments need to do better when she addressed an audience of local governments, not-for-profits, peak bodies and housing advocates as a keynote speaker at the National Regional Housing Summit in Canberra last Friday.
The summit was attended by more than 300 people and hosted by the Regional Australia Institute, the Master Builders Association and the Real Estate Institute of Australia who spoke of the challenges of the current housing crisis in regional, rural and remote Australia.
The one-day event included a series of panel discussions, keynote speeches, workshops and ‘open mic’ opportunities for attendees to share their local experiences.
“As a regional Independent I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about the housing challenges facing regional and rural Australia and I am thrilled to be part of this coalition of like-minded people and organisations from across the country who are telling the federal and state governments to do better on regional housing,” Dr Haines said.
“I don’t think that it is wilful neglect of our governments but I do think that regional Australia is a blind spot for the federal government.”
“Addressing the housing crisis is one of the most important conversations for the nation right now and I am working to ensure the voices of regional Australians are front and centre, Dr Haines said.
Dr Haines introduced her Unlocking Regional Housing Bill to the Parliament in September 2023 which specifically addresses the housing crisis in regional, rural and remote Australia by making funding easier to access and requiring the Minister to look at actions that secure at least 30 per cent of funding for regional, rural and remote Australia.
“In my meetings with the Housing Minister, I have urged her to commit one-third of the Housing Australia Future Fund to projects in regional, rural and remote areas – a fair share when almost one third of Australians live in the regions,” Dr Haines said.
“In my view, the government has missed the contextual challenges of regional Australia’s housing shortage by lumping it alongside the urban shortages experienced by our city cousins, when we know the regional challenges are different. There is no ‘one size fits all approach’ to solving the housing crisis.
“Regional Australia needs a $2 billion Regional Housing Infrastructure fund because councils need a leg up to build the sewerage and drainage, pavements and pipes that will prepare land for new homes to be built. It’s about building communities not just houses.”
The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank echoed Dr Haines’ plea by calling on the federal government to quarantine regional Australia’s fair share of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF).
“We would like to see 40 per cent of the HAFF directed to regional Australia to support population growth, address the regional housing crisis and unlock the economic potential of Australia’s regional communities,” said the bank’s CEO and Managing Director, Marnie Baker.
“We are also calling on the government to unite with state and local governments to unlock the critical enabling infrastructure that will ensure new homes are connected to the services that are essential to keeping regional Australia a great place to live.
“We welcome recent efforts from regional MPs to secure this muchneeded investment in regional Australia.
“Quarantining 40 per cent of the HAFF will provide the certainty the public and private sectors need to invest where it is needed most.”
This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 15 February 2024.
