Housing and Homelessness

Everyone in the NT should have access to appropriate, safe, secure, sustainable and affordable housing, regardless of where they live or how much they earn.

Principles

The NT Greens believe:

1. Safe, secure and affordable housing is a human right. 
2. Secure, affordable and accessible housing is crucial for good health and well-being.
3. Housing is an important precondition for social, economic and cultural participation and accessing services.
4. Houses are first and foremost homes for people to live in.
5. Access to housing should be free from discrimination. 

Public and community housing

6. Public housing is a common good and should be maintained, expanded and properly funded.
7. Public housing tenants must be adequately supported in their tenancies, not targeted with punitive laws and policies.
8. People with specific housing needs should be housed with adequate support.

Homelessness

9. The only way to solve homelessness is to provide housing.

First Nations housing

10. Homelessness and lack of housing among First Nations peoples and communities must be understood and addressed in the context of colonisation, dispossession, and displacement.
11. Self-determination is crucial to housing service provision for First Nations communities. 
12. Inadequate housing is a threat to First Nations people’s connection to land and culture.

Tenants’ rights

13. Tenants should not be discriminated against in applications for rental properties on the basis of their age, ethnicity, relationship status or income.
14. A Residential Tenancies Act should provide tenants with the same level of security, safety and certainty as homeowners enjoy.

Aims

The Greens want:

1. The elimination of homelessness and housing-related poverty.
2. A comprehensive NT-wide housing strategy and implementation plan that supports affordable, accessible, well planned and designed, socially and ecologically sustainable housing stock.
3. Higher standards for housing. 
4. To end overcrowding.
5. Tenants and people experiencing homelessness to participate in decisions regarding their housing services.
6. Adequate funding for organisations that provide services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and/or temporary crisis accommodation.
7. The Australian government to adopt needs-based funding for the housing and homelessness sector. 

Public and community housing

8. Public housing to be kept in public hands. 
9. First Nations’ public and community housing to be run by First Nations organisations with ties to the communities they house. 
10. Public and community housing to cost residents no more than 25% of household income. 
11. Eradicate the public housing waitlist in the NT by building more public housing.
12. Repairs and maintenance to be completed without unnecessary delays.
13. To create a Public Housing Commissioner to oversee and and coordinate public, social and affordable housing across the NT along with complaints.
14. Requests for public housing transfers to be met and resolved in a timely manner, especially for those experiencing domestic and family violence.
15. Adjustments be made available for public and community housing tenants with a disability so that their homes meet their accessibility requirements.
16. Public housing to have open space and recreational, cultural and social amenities that support wellbeing.
17. Repowering public and community housing with solar panels, efficient appliances, insulation and training to help all tenants with cost of living expenses.
18. More transitional housing in cities, towns and remote communities so that anyone who needs transitional housing can access it. 
19. Full tenancy rights enshrined in the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 for tenants in transitional housing.
20. Public Housing to be built using sustainable and safe materials.

Tenants’ rights

21. Affordable, safe, secure, and energy efficient rental properties.
22. Owners of rental housing to maintain the liveability and quality of their properties.
23. Reform the Residential Tenancies Act to:

• Remove ‘no grounds’ lease terminations/evictions;
• Increase the period in which landlords can inspect rental properties;
• Ensure rent increases can only increase once per year in line with wage growth;
• Ensure affordability is a criterion for Tribunal reviews of complaints regarding rent increases;
• Introduce a ban on all rent ‘bidding’ or landlords accepting offers over the listed rent amount;
• Create a separate, independent, residential tenancies bond authority;
• Create stronger minimum cooling and heating requirements for houses;
• Increase tenants’ access to NTCAT and expand the remedies NTCAT can provide; and
• Allow long-term caravan park residents, people provided housing via charitable organisations and people in transitional housing the same rights as other tenants.

24. A fully funded tenancy legal service that has offices across the NT. 
25. To eliminate racism and discrimination of all kinds against tenants in the private rental market. 
26. To establish a landlord registration system to ensure landlords' properties meet legal requirements.

Home ownership

27. To develop a strategy that specifically seeks to increase home ownership amongst First Nations people and communities across the NT.
28. To remove stamp duty and introduce a land tax.
29. To introduce levies on empty properties. 
30. Stronger regulations for retirement housing to protect residents against unfair contracts and ensure quality, affordable options. 
31. Stronger housing standards including stronger standards for safety and disability access.
32. To develop a robust planning policy that promotes inclusionary zoning and includes targets to increase public and community housing in new residential developments.
33. To introduce a 90 day cap on short stay accommodation across the NT, and a mandatory public register of short stay providers.

Homelessness and crisis and temporary accommodation

34. Appropriate and wrap-around support for people transitioning from homelessness into public, social or affordable housing.
35. To build crisis accommodation in urban and remote communities across the NT.
36. Needs-based funding for services, refuges and shelters that provide crisis accommodation for women, gender diverse people, people with disabilities.

First Nations community controlled housing

37. The NT government to properly fund First Nations community controlled organisations to provide housing and homelessness services to First Nations peoples and communities. 
38. To support and fund the development of a First Nations community controlled organisation housing system to transition housing in remote communities, community living areas and town camps. This includes a long-term plan for sector development in remote communities, capacity building and the slow and steady transition of housing to First Nations community controlled organisations that those communities have chosen to manage housing. 
39. Governments should fund, enable, support and encourage housing service delivery by First Nations community-controlled organisations.
40. The planning, design and development of housing and homelessness support services for First Nations people must be led by First Nations people and community controlled organisations (see NT GreensRemote communities, town camps and homelands policy).

Sustainability

41. Housing development based on principles of sustainable design, universal design and inclusive planning. 
42. Traditional Owners to approve of the location of any new housing.
43. Stronger standards for all housing including stronger standards for environmental impact, durability, electrification and water efficiency.
44. All housing built by NT Government to be as culturally appropriate, location-adapted, energy efficient and sustainable, including at least 7 star energy rating for all government housing across the NT.