Housing and Homelessness

Housing is a basic human right. It has a significant influence on people's health and wellbeing. State Governments need to ensure that everyone’s housing needs are met.

Housing should cultivate well-being, social cohesion and community. It should be future proofed for planned infrastructure and environmentally sustainable. It should be accessible, and considerate of all social needs, particularly the cultural needs of First Nations peoples.

Tenants in social housing are the key stakeholders in policy concerning their own homes. Homeless services should adopt a housing first approach¹ and commit to ending homelessness. Renters and tenants should have access to liveable and affordable homes and be protected from homelessness through regulations on rental prices and evictions.

Aims

The Greens (WA) want:

All people in Western Australia to have access to safe and secure housing that is considerate of needs, including cultural and social needs
First Nations people to be the decision makers regarding their housing needs (see also The Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples policy)
Housing to be recognised and treated as a right
More social housing, particularly public housing, and the resources and staffing needed to manage them
Housing to have convenient access to jobs, schools and other services and amenities
greater rights and protections for renters and tenants, including boarders and lodgers
marginalised communities to have meaningful access to public, social and emergency housing through collaborative design

Measures

The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:

Increasing Housing

directly builds more state-owned public housing so that no one is without a home
substantially increase social and affordable housing
specifically define ‘affordable housing’ as products offered below market price with income and permanent eligibility and access criteria
measure housing affordability to account for the full cost of living in a particular place, including energy and transport costs
develop a state housing plan, including increased government investment in public and social housing
increase the availability of social and community housing that is considerate of a specific age, accessibility and cultural needs
ensure that Government concessions and subsidies for housing construction only apply to the supply of new affordable housing
Incentivise the return of short-term accommodation into the long term market through regulation and restrictions

Renters and Tenants

ensure that rent control mechanisms are introduced with protection for renters, especially a ban on no fault evictions, including government rent freezes in cases of emergency
include Boarders and Lodgers and students as tenants under the relevant legislation
end unfair evictions, such as no fault evictions, through the introduction of eviction regulations that prioritise the rights of tenants
ensure landlords only provide periodic lease² alongside other tenancy options, to increase security of tenancies and tenant choice
defend and extend the ability for tenants to make reasonable modifications to their home
introduce a minimum waiting period for lessors responding to tenant maintenance requests
implement safety and health standards for all homes, subsidising the cost of upgrading homes that cannot be covered by excess income generated from its lease
ensure that when meeting new standards for existing rental properties, upgrades do not come at the financial expense of the tenant
increase funding for and accessibility of tenancy advocacy services for tenants of both private and public housing

Shifting to a Rights and Needs-based Housing Culture

commit all relevant State Government agencies commit to ending homelessness, not just managing it
reallocate the State Government funding for the First Home-Owner Grant (FHOG) to housing first programs and increasing the stock of housing
limit negative gearing, capital gains tax concessions and other tax biases that encourage property investment to a single property
introduce taxes penalties for owners of long-term vacant and empty properties
phase out stamp duty on housing and replace it with a fairer and progressive land tax
work with the Federal Government to mitigate the effects of mortgage rate increases
urgently review the fairness and effectiveness of government subsidies which stimulate demand for housing such as the First Home Owners Grant
protects those that are living in improvised shelters from police harassment prior to a transition into more permanent housing

Planning

introduce minimum efficiency standards for energy and water, requiring disclosure of efficiency at point of sale or lease
set and apply a consistent definition for affordable housing throughout all state and local planning
amend state planning legislation to prioritise social and affordable housing over housing as an investment
amend relevant local planning guidelines to require that local planning strategies introduce targets for affordable housing that are aligned with state-wide targets
increased infill targets to provide sustainable, high quality, higher density housing along public transport corridors with strong governance and design frameworks in place to transform these corridors into mixed-use districts
adopt mandatory accessibility standards in Western Australia which implement the 2022 National Construction Code update at a minimum
define a Perth urban growth boundary to control and reduce urban-fringe developments, re-directing government expenditure to support well-located, high-quality infill development
allows construction and registration of “tiny homes” that meet a reasonable inhabitable standard

Design

mandate the design and construction of adaptable housing to facilitate improved access for the elderly and disabled
introduce design and construction initiatives to minimise water usage, maximise energy efficiency and minimise whole-of-life-cycle environmental footprint
improve the state-wide scheme to retrofit water and energy saving systems and devices
phase out household gas appliances in favour of electrical ones
reduce the total environmental impact of housing, during construction, throughout the life of the building and in demolition and renovation
implement publicly available energy and water efficiency audit reports for all residential and commercial building sales and rental contracts

Social Housing

provide housing up-front and without conditions through the adoption of a housing first approach¹ by housing and homelessness services
increase the availability of social and community housing that is considerate of a specific age, accessibility and cultural needs in all local government areas
provide resources, funding and assistance for community housing organisations to be registered and maintain registration under the Community Housing Regulatory Framework
ensure the availability of parking spaces and public transport for tenants of social and community housing
provide all public housing with adequate personal safety and security, such as security screens on doors and windows
prioritises the provision of housing with a case-by-case, needs-based consideration
ensure individualised, multidisciplinary and recovery-focused³ housing services for people in social housing
develop and implement emergency response plans for people experiencing homelessness during emergencies and dangerous weather conditions
reinvest revenue generated through the rent and sale of public housing to the benefit of public housing stock
improve quality and transparency of frameworks for maintaining social housing and responding to tenant requests
establish pathways for social housing tenants to transition to home ownership when their income or employment status voids the conditions of their prior social housing contract
increase the amount of key worker housing, including Government Regional Officers Housing stock, and ensure that they are equitably distributed across workers in different sectors and regional areas
ensure that key worker housing and Government Regional Officers Housing stock are distributed equitably to meet the needs of regional and metropolitan communities
ensure that all social housing is maintained to meet minimum standards

First Nations Housing

adopt the Noongar Housing First principles⁴ in all services that work with First Nations people
require and promote the self-determination in housing and homelessness services for First Nations People
ensure that housing and homelessness services are informed by housing first principles that are culturally-informed and culturally-led
ensure that housing and homelessness services are informed by housing first principles that are culturally-informed and culturally-led
transfer maintenance contracts for housing to the First Nations communities and Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations (ACHOs) of those local areas
support employment and culturally-led training initiatives in construction and maintenance for First Nations communities and ACHOs

(See also the Australian Greens Housing policy)

Glossary

Housing first – is an approach to homelessness services that provides housing unconditionally, up-front and with wrap around mental health services.
Periodic lease – a month-to-month tenancy agreement that can be extended indefinitely.
Recovery-focused – an approach in mental health services that recognises each individual as an expert of their own circumstances and involves multidisciplinary collaboration between services users, their carers and services providers.
Noongar Housing First Principles – are a set of principles developed by Aboriginal housing organisation, Noongar Mia Mia (link to Noongar Cultural Framework and Noongar Housing First Principles). The principles are not limited in reference to the Noongar nation, but can be understood in regards to other First Nations communities. They are:
1. People and their families have a right to a home with cultural connections to boodjar (country), moort (family) and kaartdijin (cultural knowledge).
2. Support is flexible, culturally appropriate and is available whenever needed.
3. Choice and self-determination with no cultural compromise.
4. Culturally appropriate active engagement through kwop daa (“good talk” - genuineness).
5. Support focuses on strengthening wirrin (spirit). Social, cultural and community inclusion.

Housing policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in 2023