Kelly Jowell’s Post

Everyone needs a home. We should all be able to live somewhere in security, safety and dignity. Yet for many people in Australia, this is currently out of reach. This Bill, if passed, would help to address this. It would promote a human rights-based approach to housing policy by requiring the federal government to develop a long-term plan to prevent and end homelessness and improve housing supply and affordability. We need to treat housing as a human right, not a commodity.

The Human Rights Commission has supported a private member’s bill that would recognise the human right to adequate housing and support improved housing outcomes for all Australians. In welcoming the National Housing and Homelessness Plan Bill, Commission President Hugh de Kretser signalled that progressing economic and social rights, including the right to adequate housing, would be a priority of his term. “Everyone needs a home. We should all be able to live somewhere in security, safety and dignity. Yet for many people in Australia, this is currently out of reach," he said. “This Bill, if passed, would help to address this. It would promote a human rights-based approach to housing policy by requiring the federal government to develop a long-term plan to prevent and end homelessness and improve housing supply and affordability. “We need to treat housing as a human right, not a commodity." Read more: https://loom.ly/wUQwZK0

We applaud the private members bill put forward by Kylea Tink for North Sydney, and Senator David Pocock to reframe housing as a human right, mandating the Federal Government to make a long term plan to transform the housing system. The proposed bill would require current and future governments to develop, implement and maintain a 10-year National Housing and Homelessness Plan in line with legislated objectives, including improving housing supply, affordability and ending homelessness. At its heart is the goal of ensuring everyone in Australia has an adequate home. Over the last few years the Mercy Foundation has advocated for a rights based approach to housing. Homes are meant to be safe, secure and nurturing, not income generating assets in an investment portfolio for the wealthy. Professor Jessie Hohmann is a leading expert on the right to housing. Jessie developed the booklet ‘ The right to housing: A Guide for Civil Society’ to help us advocate for housing as a human right. You can download a copy of the guide here: https://bit.ly/3VTcwEC We know too well the deep and damaging human cost when the right to housing is breached.

I support a human rights based approach to housing policy and delivery.

Right now, there are 8.5 million people in England who can’t access the housing they need.   That includes two million children who are living in overcrowded, unaffordable or unsuitable homes.   Jo Barrett, our Strategy & Assurance Director, and Louise Hillier, our Strategy Manager, have joined the National Housing Federation’s new group, 'Let’s fix the housing crisis', to look at how we can work with the next Government to fix the housing crisis once and for all.   The group will be calling on all political parties to work with us closely and commit to a long-term plan for housing.   This includes a plan to build the 90,000 new social homes we need every year to keep up with demand, ending child homelessness and ensuring a warm and decent home for seven million families.   See more about what we want to achieve, and how, here: https://bit.ly/4aZRbyL #housingcrisis

Anthony in the past labour has always committed $ amounts for good social initiatives which should be applauded. Unfortunately, a lack of ownership of the detail and process has caused huge costs to the nation for errors in implementation and getting very little for our money. Instead, I’d like to see better management of the process and squeezing a lot more out of our countries hard earned money than lining the pockets of the cowboys who are attracted to the gravy train. Perhaps you could overlay the $ investment with an idea of expected outcomes? Perhaps quantify how many houses/ apartments you’re expecting for the money? Additionally, how is the government going to support innovation in the building space to increase build speed, eliminate wastage, control costs, increase worksite safety, etc. How is red tape to be eliminated without encouraging bad work practices and hidden costs? Anthony headline numbers are great but history tarnishes your great initiative as we’ve heard this before. Give us something to measure your team on and to hold themselves to account with a target outcome. Inputs are easy! Outcomes are what make the difference.

BREAKING: We’re building more homes. Yesterday I brought National Cabinet together. Here’s what we will do: Help vulnerable Australians, by funding crisis and transitional accomodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and young people. Build new homes faster, by reducing red tape, training more tradies and by funding the roads and services new homes need. Increase social housing supply, by delivering the biggest investment in social housing in over a decade and doubling our funding to address homelessness. This isn’t about just one suburb or city, it’s about building new homes in every part of the country. That’s what our budget will help deliver.

Last Friday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that effectively overturned the landmark case known as Martin v Boise, which had provided protections for people experiencing homelessness from penalties for sleeping in public spaces if they do not have an alternative. Friday’s ruling in the case known as Grants Pass has sent shockwaves through the homelessness ecosystem. Until now, the court had restricted cities from enforcing anti-camping laws or punishing people for sleeping in public spaces if they didn’t have an alternative. To be clear, criminalizing people for suffering on our streets is not only morally reprehensible but irrationally counterproductive. Instead, cities no longer have the excuse of confusing direction from the court. The right answer has always been in front of us: build enough beds. This ruling now only assures cities that when they do so they will be able to reclaim their public spaces, as they should. At DignityMoves, the team and I are continuing to partner with cities and counties to do just that. We are implementing a model we call Dignity Now that calculates how many beds a city needs in order to claim victory over the era of encampments. We need to build enough dignified interim housing, with a variety of programs to meet the needs of the individuals, so that no one needs to resort to nor be allowed to sleep on our streets.  Watch me share more below 👇

On August 14, the Australian Human Rights Commission expressed strong support for the National Housing and Homelessness Plan Bill, introduced by Independent Senator David Pocock and MP Kylea Tink. This pivotal Bill seeks to recognize adequate housing as a fundamental human right and promote improved housing outcomes for all Australians. Key Highlights: - Human Rights-Based Approach: The Bill mandates the federal government to develop a long-term National Housing and Homelessness Plan, ensuring housing policy is rooted in human rights principles. - Increased Accountability: Progress reports would be required to track advancements in addressing homelessness and improving housing affordability. - Support from the Commission: Commission President Hugh de Kretser emphasized that treating housing as a human right, not merely a commodity, is crucial for ensuring security, safety, and dignity for all Australians. This endorsement comes as National Homelessness Week concludes and the Australian Homelessness Conference begins, marking a significant step forward in the fight for housing justice. Stay updated with Global Regulatory Insights for more on human rights and policy developments. #HousingIsAHumanRight #HumanRights #NationalHousingPlan #GRI #Australia

As the state election looms over Queensland this weekend, the team at Common Ground Queensland are ever-committed to providing supportive housing for those most vulnerable in our communities, regardless of the political outcome. With the Homes for Queenslanders housing plan released earlier this year, and a Supportive Housing Policy released just a few months ago, we acknowledge the commitment from the Queensland Government and it’s efforts to tackle the ever-growing housing crisis. However, we believe that more can be done. Common Ground Queensland advocates for a percentage of all social housing to be supportive housing, for the most vulnerable people in our community. By investing in increasing supportive housing, the Queensland Government will derive better social, health, and economic outcomes for government, community and individuals. It’s the best decision to end homelessness for the most disadvantaged people in our communities. We believe that the time is right for a supportive housing system reform. #supportivehousing #commonground #housingfirst #endhomelessness