Builders welcome Housing Affordability Fund
September 20th 2008 03:25
“The HAF is a welcome return of the Commonwealth into this vital part of the Australian social fabric and the economy. There has been a decade of policy neglect in addressing the supply side barriers and the HAF is supported by industry as a first and vital step in redressing this area of policy neglect,” said Wilhelm Harnisch, CEO of Master Builders Australia.
“The lack of housing affordability remains a major challenge despite the recent reduction in interest rates,” he said.
“Dealing with delays in state and local government planning processes and increasing demand for community infrastructure are the essential keys to solving Australia’s systemic underlying housing affordability challenges.”
Master Builders particularly welcomes the $30 million HAF allocation to fast track the national roll out of an electronic development assistance (eDA) system. This is something that the industry has agitated about for at least five years and should prove to be a major technological step forward in streamlining development approvals.
Master Builders also welcomes the HAF guidelines which will see funding going to projects based on merit and need rather than equally distributed amongst states and local governments. This should ensure that tax payer’s dollars are targeted to areas of immediate and urgent need.
Master Builders, in its submission to the establishment of the HAF, called for a holistic approach to ensure that funding only goes to best practice projects that can be adapted and adopted in the future so that the targeted $10,000 cost savings can be passed on to all future home buyers.
To maximise benefits it is critical that lessons learned from HAF funded projects form the basis for future policy action, particularly in areas such as the development of appropriate funding mechanisms by state and local governments for community facilities that are consistent with ensuring housing affordability remains an achievable goal.
Information from Master Builders’ Australia
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