Master Builders Australia (MBA) has informed a Senate committee that
reforms are needed to boost the national housing supply and make housing
affordable.
Master Builders Australia CEO Wilhelm Harnisch explains that the main
challenge facing the nation is the massive shortfall in new housing; reducing
this shortfall will be key to maintaining home ownership as a realistic
aspiration rather than an unaffordable dream.
According to Mr Harnisch, supply side reforms must include measures to
generate appropriate funding for social housing.
In their submission to the Senate Inquiry chaired by Senator Sam
Dastyari, Master Builders has provided an 8-point Affordability Agenda
addressing the structural barriers to increasing the housing supply. The plan
calls for a commitment to a national housing affordability agenda to be agreed upon
by federal, state and local governments through a reinvigorated COAG.
Master Builders’ eight point
Affordability Agenda
National competition style payments to local councils that improve
supply of adequate releasable land (both greenfield and brown field’) and
implement more efficient building and planning approvals.
Agreed ‘master plans’ to deliver positive housing outcomes that cover
urban consolidation and urban and regional infrastructure plans to deliver a
housing mix to meet the needs of different demographics.
All local councils should develop Land Release Plans, which identify and
provide an indicative forward schedule of ‘greenfield’ and ‘brownfield’ land
over a rolling 10-year horizon that could be made available for housing
development.
Make state and territory infrastructure charges subject to a housing
affordability assessment to ensure that the supply of adequate housing stock is
not being undermined. The Commonwealth should penalise states and territories that
impose excessive developer charges through a reduction in transfer payments.
An online ‘InfoHub’ should be established by the Commonwealth to allow
ready comparison between local councils and state and territory jurisdictions
and the efficiency of their processes, developer charges and progressive land
release schedules.
