SGCH welcomes the Budget announcements that provide short-term cost of living relief to lower income households. As NSW’s largest community housing provider of over 7,000 homes for low-moderate income households across Sydney, we know these measures will help.

But the biggest issue facing low-income households is unchanged. Some 68% of the lowest income Australian households will remain in inadequate and insecure private rental housing after the short-term Budget sugar hit wears off.

We now need to turn our attention to fixing our broken housing system so we can make real progress to increase the supply of social, affordable and diverse rental housing, and make a lasting change to the lives of millions of Australians in housing distress.

This is a problem that will only be solved by real and lasting multi-dimensional structural reform. Together with budget measures including an increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance, reforms to incentivise investment in Built to Rent, and an increase in the guarantee for the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation – a key foundation stone laid by the previous government – we can see the building blocks required to make a meaningful start.

With the Senate set to debate the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) this week, there is an opportunity for political leaders to demonstrate a commitment to lower income households and provide the building blocks needed to get on with the job of unlocking more social and affordable rental homes. There is a wide spectrum of supporters calling on the Senate to pass the HAFF including Property Council of Australia, UDIA National, PowerHousing Australia, Community Housing Industry Association, National Shelter, Homelessness Australia and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association.

SGCH, along with other community housing providers and the private sector stand ready if our political leaders hand us the tools.

We look forward to seeing a commitment to meaningful structural reform.