Publications

Ten Year National Housing and Homelessness Plan - Key messages and submission guide

The Federal Government has released a discussion paper for the 10-year National Housing and Homelessness Plan, to be released in 2024. We have been calling for a national plan for many years, and see this as a good opportunity to achieve change. Submissions don’t have to be lengthy documents - simply describing your experiences and views will make a worthy submission. We’ve also prepared a guide to help write your submission, and respond to the key points for discussion.

Read our submission Guide

Inquiry into the Rental and Housing Affordability Crisis in Victoria

HAAG welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Inquiry into the Rental and Housing Affordability Crisis in Victoria. This submission is based on our experience delivering housing and related support services to older people, research and lived experiences of older people experiencing housing stress or homelessness in Australia. We especially acknowledge the contributions to this submission made by members of HAAG’s advisory groups including Retirement Accommodation Action Group (RAAG), LGBTQIA+ reference group and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) reference group.

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Submission to the Residential Tenancies Amendment (Rental Fairness) Bill 2023

A fixed rental price must be advertised at the time a property is put up for rent. This advertised rate would act as a ceiling. Older people are already struggling to find affordable housing in an extremely competitive housing market. They are unlikely to be able to bid higher on properties on a limited income.

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National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality

HAAG welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality. This submission is based on our experience delivering housing and related support services to older women, research and lived experiences of older women experiencing housing stress or homelessness in Australia. We especially acknowledge the contributions to this submission made by members of HAAG’s advisory groups including National Alliance for Seniors Housing (NASH), Retirement Accommodation Action Group (RAAG), LGBTQIA+ reference group, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) reference group and NSW Lived Experience Advocacy Group (LEAG).

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Submissions to The extent and nature of poverty in Australia Inquiry

HAAG recommends to increase social housing stock, income support, engagement with communities affected by poverty, to address systemic gender inequality, develop a national agenda for older people and a implement a nationally consistent construction code to make housing accessible and adaptable to climate change.

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Submission to Draft Inspector General of Aged Care Bill

There is ample evidence to demonstrate that the Aged Care service systems are not adequately meeting the needs of older people, especially those retiring into poverty, or experiencing housing or homelessness issues. Considering this, there is a clear need to ensure the rights of those who are experiencing additional challenges or are likely to experience disadvantage should be core part of a new Inspector-General’s role.

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Comment on the Exposure Draft of proposed amendments to the Retirement Villages Act

The draft of proposed amendments to the Retirement Villages Act bill fails to address many concerns raised by and on behalf of residents, in particular around management standards and fairer fees. The bill allows the most exploitative and predatory operators to continue to operate according to ‘churn’ business models where they are incentivised to maintain high turnover rates by systematically pressuring residents to leave once their exit fees reach their maximum value. The bill abandons the concept of a rights-based framework in favour of vague unenforceable ‘principles’. Overall, the bill simply fails to address serious public concerns about exploitative business practices in the retirement village industry, much less the concerns expressed by the many residents who have made submissions to this review.

PDF icon Read the submission here

Why the Federal Government must include older people in its National Housing and Homelessness Plan

The new Federal Government has committed to developing a National Housing and Homelessness Plan with the support and assistance of key stakeholders, including States and Territories, local government, not-for-profit and social organisations, industry bodies, superannuation funds and other experts in housing, finance and urban development. HAAG is  calling for ambitious targets along with genuine consultation of older people with lived experience of housing stress and homelessness.
 

Housing Older Women Movement's responses to the Review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement

Submissions to the Review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement that reflect the actual experiences and words of women who live with housing stress, insecurity and homelessness as part of the Housing Older Womens Movement

PDF icon Read the Submission here

Submission to NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Homelessness

The Ageing on the Edge NSW Forum is calling on the NSW government to:

  1. Fund a specialist older person’s housing information and support service that comprises both an early intervention and crisis response, similar to the HAAG Home at Last model in Victoria.
  2. Lower the priority age for social housing eligibility from 80 years as a matter of urgency.
  3. Build 5,000 social and affordable homes per year for 10 years, at least 20% of which should be dedicated to older people.

PDF icon Read our submission to the parliamentary inquiry here

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.

PDF icon Read the submission here

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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