Submissions
HAAG makes submissions to local, state and federal Governments, sharing the voices and lived experience of our members and advocating for progress towards safe, secure and affordable housing for older people.
Pre-Budget Submission NSW – 2022-23
Based on widespread consultation with older people and the community sector , the Ageing on the Edge Forum has developed policy recommendations that are critical to addressing the needs of older people facing housing stress and homelessness in NSW. Read the Pre Budget Submission …Posted in: Campaigns, New South Wales
Submission to the Inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia
The Federal Government must Incorporate Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning, fund targeted measures to increase affordable housing stock earmarked for older people, and incrementally remove Capital Gains Tax and Negative Gearing to create an equitable housing market. Read the submission …Posted in: Campaigns
Submission to The Victorian Social Housing Regulation Review: Role of Regulation in sector accountability, viability and growth
We have grave concerns about the directions outlined in this discussion paper for the future of public housing, and the potential impact on potential and current social housing tenants. The implication that the private sector or non-government sector are better at managing housing, more efficient or innovative does not align with the experiences in other jurisdictions, yet the paper is peppered with these value assumptions.
Read the Submission …
Submission to The Victorian Social Housing Regulation Review: Service Delivery and the Tenant Experience
We support the stated aim to “provide advice on harmonising resident rights under public and community housing and options to ensure effective complaints management” however, we are concerned that the directions in the consultation paper appear to erode tenant rights, by using current community housing as the benchmark, rather than public housing. We support strengthened tenancy protections for older tenants in community housing, rather than diminishing of protections for older tenants in public housing.
Read the submissison …
Options to improve access to existing and alternate accommodation to address the NSW social housing shortage
Our submission calls on the NSW Government to fund a specialist older person’s housing information and support service, lower the priority age for social housing eligibilityand build 5,000 social and affordable homes per year for 10 years, to address the older peoples housing crisis. Read the Submission …Posted in: Community Housing, Public Housing, Campaigns, New South Wales
Purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension Submission
The inadequacy of social security payments can have significant negative physical and mental health impacts on people and forces them to rely on community services that provide mental health, housing and homelessness, and other similar services. Increasing these payments would result in people being able to manage their expenses and, as a result, alleviate pressure on community services that are already struggling to meet the community needs.
Read the submission …
Submission to the Embedded Networks Review
Across sectors, much of the legislation and policies that are meant to monitor or regulate the services provided to older people living in retirement housing options do not offer clear or adequate protections or enforcements. Given this, HAAG is in support of the Panel’s vision to provide consumers of Embedded (electricity) Networks equal protections, market access and treatment to on-market customers. Read the submission …Posted in: Retirement Housing Advice Service
Submission to Inquiry into economic equity for Victorian women
We are encouraged to see the government’s interest in better understanding and addressing the economic inequalities that women experience. However, it is disappointing to note that focus of this inquiry on economic equity for women fails to include equal access to housing as a core issue, even though safe, affordable and adequate housing underpins all other aspects of life, in particular women’s economic independence and security. Read our submission to the inquiry here …
Submission to The Victorian Social Housing Regulation Review: Background and Scoping Paper
Older women are a fast-growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness, as found by the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into homelessness, however the unique housing needs of older people are barely acknowledged in this consultation paper, or other related policy documents including the 10 Year Strategy. HAAG’s responses to the consultation questions reflect the needs of this vulnerable and largely silenced cohort. Read the submission here …2022-23 Federal Pre-budget Submission
In our pre-budget submission we call on the Federal Government to increase the availability of safe, affordable and appropriate housing for older people at risk of and/or experiencing homelessness, invest in service systems to support older people before they reach crisis, invest in support for older people with a lived experience to have a voice in aged care, and invest in support for existing Assistance with Care and Housing (ACH) providers to transition to the care finder model, through the Primary Health Networks.
Read the pre-budget submission …Posted in: Campaigns, Federal Campaigns
Submission to the Retirement Villages Act Review Options Paper
The options set out in this paper show a serious lack of understanding of the issues raised by residents and other stakeholder about retirement village residencies. Retirement villages are too often unfair and exploitative. The Options Paper proceeds as if the problems were only that residents mistakenly perceived villages to be unfair and exploitative, or as if more information would resolve resident concerns. This is not the case. Again and again, the options paper proposes more information rather than increased protections for residents. This is a persistent failure of the options paper, and if the government proceeds on this basis …Posted in: Retirement Housing Advice Service
Retirement Villages Act Review Joint Submission
The current Retirement Villages Act Review is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul the regulatory framework for retirement villages in Victoria. We have the chance to future-proof this legislation, and lead the nation in terms of retirement village regulation, which will enhance resident confidence in the sector.
We see the Options Paper as a non-definitive list of ways we can improve retirement village regulation in Victoria. We have set out our shared vision and recommendations for the review in this joint submission with the Consumer Action Law Centre, Council on the The Ageing Victoria, and Residents of Retirement Villages Victoria. …