Submissions

Review of National Housing and Homelessness Agreement - 2022

Australia’s housing system is failing people experiencing disadvantage, particularly older people who are falling through the cracks. The existing policy frameworks are inadequately equipped to support people at risk of homelessness and there is a clear need for national leadership through a National Housing Strategy to develop and deliver sustainable solutions that are properly resourced.

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Draft National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 Submission

HAAG and Older Womens Network NSW's input into the Draft National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032. We provide recommendations to adress domestic violence, elder abuse and homelessness amongst older women. This submission is endorsed by Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW).

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Submission to Victorian Social Housing Regulation Review: Interim Report

HAAG supports an explicit objective in the regulatory system to protect and safeguard the interests of current, prospective and future tenants. We note that there is tension between the practical application of putting “tenants in the centre” in the broader context of a housing policy direction focussed on transfer of stock and redevelopment of public housing. While this independent review of social housing regulation is occurring, Homes Victoria is simultaneously relocating existing public housing tenants from their homes under the public housing renewal program. Those tenants are not “at the centre” of this decision, and the practical aim of applying this approach is questionable in a context where tenants feel powerless in the face of the decisions made by government to move them out of their communities and into an uncertain future.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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