Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Minister visits Australia to shape housing policy

Minister visits Australia to shape housing policy


Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith leaves for Australia today with Housing New Zealand chief executive Glen Sowry to learn from their experience of growing the community social housing sector.

“Social housing in New Zealand, unlike most countries, is dominated by state provision. Research shows we can get better results from a more diverse social housing sector. The Government’s ambition is to dramatically grow the community social housing sector to provide 20 per cent of social housing. Australia has achieved this over the past two decades and I want to learn from their experience,” Dr Smith says.

Social housing in Australia is a state government responsibility and community social housing makes up about 20 per cent of their social housing stock. This compares with less than one per cent in New Zealand.

“Our Social Housing Reform Bill currently before Parliament is a game changer for community social housing. It will enable approved community housing providers to access the income related rent subsidy that is currently only available to Housing New Zealand. We are also growing the sector with grants from the Social Housing Fund,” he says.

“The success of these reforms is dependent on getting the detail right. I want to look in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane at their system for registering social housing providers, how they ensure quality housing, how their system is funded and the different approaches to expanding the sector.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“I also want to shift Housing New Zealand away from intensive state housing suburbs to mixed tenure developments. I will be visiting a number of redevelopments where there is a mix of state, affordable and community social housing.

“New Zealand and Australia share similar major challenges over housing affordability and supply. We need to be open to learning from their experiences as we reform our systems to get better outcomes for families.”

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.