The Department

Social Housing Taskforce Report

The Social Housing Taskforce Final Report “More Than a Roof and Four Walls” was released by the Minister for Housing, Hon Troy Buswell MLA, on 6 October 2009.  Accompanying the Taskforce Report is Housing 2020: Future Directions for Affordable Housing, which proposes a strategy to improve the affordable housing system over the next decade. 

The Government is keen to hear feedback on both documents and canvass other practical ideas about how to improve and expand the supply of affordable housing for low-to-moderate income households.  With this in mind, both documents have been publicly released and submissions are invited.

In preparing submissions, interested parties are invited to use the attached template and focus their thoughts and contributions around four key questions:

1. Taskforce Recommendations – Are there aspects of the Report you feel are problematic or particularly important, and if so why?
2. Proposed Future Directions Statement – Are there aspects of the Future Directions statement you feel are problematic or particularly important, and if so why?
3. Other Issues and Solutions – Do you feel there are other measures or practical proposals that should be considered to address the affordable housing challenge?
4. General Suggestions – Are there more general matters you think need attention in the proposed Affordable Housing Strategy and why?

Social Housing Taskforce Report

Housing 2020

Submission Form

Interested parties should forward their submissions to:

Mr Julian Wright
Principal Policy Officer
Affordable Housing Strategy
Department of Housing
99 Plain Street EAST PERTH WA 6004

OR by email to:
SPDfeedback@housing.wa.gov.au  

Closing date for submissions is 4 December 2009.

Further enquiries can contact Julian Wright, Principal Policy Officer on (08) 9222 4581

The Social Housing Taskforce, chaired by Anglicare Chief Executive Ian Carter, was announced in December by Minister for Housing and Works Troy Buswell, who expressed the hope that it would redefine Western Australia’s approach to social housing.

Taskforce members were chosen from a range of community, industry and local government bodies for their individual expertise and ability to be innovative in coming up with new strategies to address the social housing shortages in the State.

Receiving positive support across all sectors and organisations, the Taskforce will examine international and national models of social housing as a catalyst for developing Western Australian strategies hat produce a vibrnt and growing social housing sector.

The Taskforce is due to report to the Minister by 30 June 2009.

Reports

Social Housing Taskforce Interim Report - 31 March 2009 (pdf 254.5kB)

SOCIAL HOUSING TASKFORCE TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Taskforce will provide advice to the Minister for Housing and Works on how to expand the supply of social housing and consider as part of its deliberations: 1. National and international models of social housing, financing and provision which may be applicable to Western Australia (supported by evidence which is comparable and reliable). 2. Strategies to increase the participation of the community housing sector, not for profit organisations, the private sector and local government in the provision of, and management of, social housing. 3. The long term role of the State within a modern social housing framework considering aspects including the provision of dwellings, management of tenants, management of waitlists, regulatory frameworks, and provider of partnership based funding. 4. Strategies to improve the optimisation and utilisation of current public housing stock. 5. Funding models that identify new and innovative approaches to long term sustainable funding including the investment of private sector capital. 6. Methodologies to underpin demand modelling and the setting of appropriate long term targets for the level of social housing provision. 7. Observations regarding the capacity of the public, private and community sectors to support the new approaches identified by the Taskforce, and ways in which this capacity can be enhanced, if required.