Housing

The Greens believe:

1. Everyone has a fundamental human right to adequate housing.

2. Having safe and affordable long-term housing provides people with the stability to engage in community life, recreation, education and employment, and to access important social services.

3. Where South Australians cannot afford or choose not to privately purchase their own home, alternative options for affordable housing must be available, including community land trusts, shared equity with social housing providers, private rental, community housing and public housing.

4. Access to housing should be free from discrimination. People with special housing needs should be housed with adequate support. 5. All levels of Government should work together to deliver public housing that meets our current needs and plans to provide for future demand.

5. Governments should ensure that housing and support services are available to meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable and likely to face difficulties accessing housing, including women with children, young people, people with a disability or mental illness, veterans, First Nations people, older people, victims of domestic or family violence, asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants.

6. People experiencing crisis, including people with complex circumstances or who require additional assistance, should be provided with immediate and appropriate housing and support.

7. Tenants in private rental, public and community housing must be supported by legislative safeguards.

8. Best-practice environmental design and retrofitting should be implemented in all housing, both new and existing, to minimise the property’s environmental footprint and improve amenity.

9. New urban developments should be environmentally sound, close to employment, amenities and public transport, and should facilitate community interaction.

10. Residents should have ready access to natural open spaces.

11. All housing development should be based on the principles of sustainable design and construction, universal design and inclusive urban planning.

12. People must be given the opportunity to participate in the planning, assessment and development process for public and community housing.

13. Government should support innovation and emerging industries in new construction methods, including sustainable fast-build modular housing.

14. Innovation is needed in finance models to stimulate the supply of affordable housing.

15. Existing subsidies and incentives for property investment should be reviewed with a view to guaranteeing housing affordability and affordable housing supply across all tenure types.

16. Public housing and publicly-owned land set aside for housing, must not be privatised.

The Greens will:

A Fair Go for Renters

1. Legislate for minimum standards for rental homes, including appropriate and functional facilities, security and privacy.

2. Require disclosure of the energy rating of rental premises under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) for houses built since 2003.

3. Legislate to prohibit “rental bidding” which forces potential tenants into unfair rental auctions by requiring that rental properties be advertised at a fixed price, and landlords and their agents cannot request or solicit rental bids above that price.

4. Legislate to allow people to rent with their pets other than in exceptional circumstances.

5. Allow people who rent to make minor and reversible changes (like hanging pictures and installing modern communications technology).

6. Require the Commissioner for Consumer Affairs to establish a publicly available register of non-compliance for landlords, rooming house proprietors and property agents who have been found in breach of rental laws.

7. Enable people who have had their tenancy wrongfully terminated to seek an order for reinstatement or compensation.

8. Improve security of tenure for people renting by ending the ability for landlords to evict tenants without specifying a ground of termination and increasing the minimum notice period to three months for termination by the landlord for specified grounds only.

9. Provide Government funding for the establishment of an SA-based Tenants’ Union to provide support and advocacy for tenants.

   Affordable Housing

10. Support federal legislation that removes the ability for people with more than two investment properties to negatively gear through their tax.

11. Support federal legislation to phase out the Capital Gains Tax discount over five years by 10% each year.

12. Replace State Stamp Duty with a fairer broad-based Land Tax calculated on the unimproved value of the land, with concessions for low income households.

13. Introduce a Vacancy Tax for residential properties left vacant for a period longer than 12 months. This will encourage owners to rent or sell and help increase the supply of housing. Revenue raised will be allocated to develop new public housing.

14. Legislate to provide land tax exemptions for private houses that are rented as affordable housing while managed by a community housing provider in order to increase the stock of affordable housing.

15. Require all significant housing developments to provide a minimum of 20% affordable housing and ensure audit and enforcement of these requirements.

16. Support collaborative or deliberative models of housing, through local and state planning policies and incentives, to allow alternative models of housing and reduce cost of ownership.

17. Promote innovative options for affordable smaller housing, including the provision of secondary dwellings on single allotments where appropriate.

18. Encourage, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government, institutional investment in subsidised housing, which may include:-

         - Issuing of government housing bonds to raise capital for investment in social and affordable housing;
         - Grants, lending and long-term leases to assist not-for-profit housing agencies such as community housing organisations and co-operatives.

19. Require the SA Planning Commission to report publicly against key performance measures and expand the expertise of its Members to include:

         - A representative from the social and/or affordable Housing Sector;
         - Expertise in innovation and design excellence; and
         - A community representative.

20. Investigate opportunities to bring the Nightingale housing model to South Australia, which involves properties that are powered by 100% clean energy, have a minimum 7.5 star energy efficiency rating and cap the profit margin to 15% to keep housing affordable.Provide funding to expand our public housing sector and support non-profit housing providers to build new homes that put peoples’ needs above profit.

    Social / Public Housing

21. Provide funding to expand our public housing sector and support non-profit housing providers to build new homes that put peoples’ needs above profit.

22. Keep existing public housing stock and land reserved for public housing in public hands to ensure that all South Australians who require it to have access to affordable public housing with security of tenure, and appropriate support services where necessary.

23. Promote investment in innovative, fast-build or prefabricated construction processes to ensure social housing supply is increased rapidly to address the severe shortage of supply.

24. Establish trials of social housing on small acreages for those qualifying for public housing who have an interest in co-operative living and small-scale agricultural or compatible enterprises.

25. Establish a Community Housing Loan Scheme, financed through the South Australian Government Financing Authority, to enable registered community housing providers to build and deliver more affordable housing.

26. Support the creation of new housing cooperatives and protect existing ones.

27. Ensure consideration is given in town planning to recreational, cultural and social amenities that promote healthy communities.

28. Ensure greater diversity in housing to meet the accessibility needs of changing demographics and disadvantaged groups.

29. Provide incentives for the community housing sector and other developers to produce more appropriate housing to meet the future needs of an increasing number of older Australians. This includes developments that facilitate ‘ageing in place’.

30. Ensure First Nations people have access to adequate, secure, well-maintained, safe and culturally appropriate long-term housing, wherever they live.

31. Set consistent and fair standards for the maintenance of all publicly funded accommodation so as to provide a healthy living environment for the occupant and optimise the potential for community participation and social inclusion.

32. Retrofit existing social housing complexes where appropriate to extend building life, minimise resource use and improve tenants’ amenities and lower their cost of living.

33. Renovate public and community housing to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as heat stress.

34. Install solar PV panels and battery storage on all new Housing SA rental properties to assist low income households with their energy bills.

35. Install solar PV panels and battery storage on all suitable existing Housing SA rental properties to assist low income households with their energy bills.

36. Ensure that public housing tenants are not charged more than 20% of their income for low-income households and 30% for moderate incomes for moderate-income households.

37. Promote tenant participation in decisions about public and community housing services and ensure that public housing is built in locations that provide reasonable access to employment, health-care, public transport, open space, schools and other social services and facilities.

38. Ensure that the criteria for ongoing social housing eligibility and social housing rent calculation policies do not create a disincentive for tenants to pursue opportunities for education, employment or increased income, due to their fear of eviction or that their additional income will to a large extent be consumed in increased rent.

39. Review the targeting of public housing to consider how a wider spread of tenants might contribute to the longer term sustainability and social integration of an expanded investment in public housing.

40. Ensure that Housing SA adopt a supportive housing policy to ensure people living in public housing are also provided with ‘wrap-around’ services relevant to their situation, including disability, child support, aged care specialist services, mental health, and home maintenance; and also have housing appropriate to their needs.

41. Provide resources and funding to support programs that help people in public housing acquire the skills required to stay in a home.

42. Ensure that any relocation of public housing tenants from existing localities is undertaken within a public strategy that prioritises the health and wellbeing of tenants and their ability to access necessary services as well as promoting tenants’ informed consent and choice.

    Crisis Housing and Homelessness

43. Establish early intervention programs to address the housing crisis and prevent homelessness.

44. Provide supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, with an emphasis on independent and long-term housing solutions in preference to temporary and emergency ones.

45. Increase the provision of emergency accommodation and transitional housing for people in need (including women and children affected by family violence, people experiencing homelessness, refugees and asylum seekers, migrants and people released from detention) with sufficient exit options to long-term housing.

46. Ensure that housing assistance and support is available across all entry points including crisis accommodation and outreach services to eliminate turn-aways and resolve rough sleeping.

47. Ensure the integration of housing with the provision of flexible packages of support matched to individual circumstances, needs and capabilities to prevent recurring homelessness of vulnerable households

48. Work towards targeted national strategy to address the high incidence of homelessness in the LGBTIQ+ and other marginalised communities.

49. Secure funding for secular women's-only services, refuges and shelters that specifically include trans women.

50. Encourage all councils to develop a Homelessness policy and protocol.

51. Establish an annual Homelessness Summit that brings together representatives from Cabinet, government directorates, and the community and business sectors, to address homelessness and housing challenges in our community.

    Planning / Communities

52. Institute planning guidelines for new housing developments that require:  

         - a social mix of public and private housing including housing that caters for diverse social and cultural needs;
         - a revised national rating system that takes into account the best international standards for efficiency and sustainability;
         - privacy and noise controls;
         - permeable road networks allowing for bus access;
         - segregated bicycle paths and footpaths;
         - design and landscaping to incorporate water sensitive urban design including rainwater harvesting, stormwater, and wastewater recycling; and
         - public open space in addition to community facilities.

53. Institute urban planning guidelines that provide for:

         - the location of high-density housing and commercial buildings close to high capacity public transport; and
         - the clustering of medium-density housing, community facilities and small-scale businesses around neighbourhood shopping centres and other social facilities (including health care and schooling) linked with public transport.

54. Develop genuinely environmentally sustainable communities that incorporate:

         - Onsite power generation using renewable energy;
         - Food production and protection of arable land;
         - Reducing waste by encouraging recycling, composting and onsite treatment for renewable energy;
         - Higher Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) and National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) standards;
         - Measures to reduce heat sinks, including but not limited to pale-coloured roofing, paving and roads;
         - Recycling of black and grey water, installation of rainwater tanks, water efficient fittings and waterless urinals, and incorporating composting toilets  where appropriate;
         - The promotion and preservation of biodiversity and natural habitats;
         - Measures to build communities that encourage interaction and support among residents and businesses;
         - Transport strategies and infrastructure that encourage use of public transport, bicycles, walking and increased opportunities for physical fitness;
         - Energy efficient lighting and appliances;
         - Environment-friendly designs and appropriate building materials, with an emphasis on thermal mass, recycling, and reduction of energy costs.

55. Develop the planning process to create clustered, mixed-use communities that encourage walking, cycling, public transport use and lessen dependence upon private motor vehicle usage.

    Housing Design and Efficiency

56.  Support incentives for householders to reduce their energy bills through energy efficiency, solar hot water, solar panels and battery storage.

57. Legislate for mandatory disclosure of the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) energy ratings of residential buildings by vendors when they are for sale.

58. Implement energy and water efficiency audit reports for all residential and commercial building sales and rental contracts, with reports available to potential buyers or renters before contacting an agreement.

59. Accelerate the use of zero carbon emission building technologies and green building design.

60. Reduce the environmental impact of housing, both during construction and throughout the life of the building by promoting the use of eco-friendly or recycled construction materials and fittings.

61. Instigate a reduction in the environmental impact of housing, both during construction and throughout the life of the building, including for new and established buildings to meet high minimum standards of durability, energy efficiency, noise insulation and water conservation.

62. Require new homes to have a minimum 7-Star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating or equivalent.

63. Implement a state-wide scheme to retrofit water saving systems and devices.

64. Provide financial assistance to home-owners and landlords, for the installation of solar panels, home battery storage, and energy and water efficiency retrofits.

(Housing Policy as amended by The Greens SA Policy and Campaigns Council April 2020)