Queensland Government
Department of Housing and Public Works

The National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) aims to ensure all people have access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing that contributes to social and economic participation.

It is a commitment by the Australian and State Governments to implement a range of reforms that will improve housing programs and services that are delivered under the agreement. The reform agenda aims to:

  • improve the integration and coordination of assistance to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
  • improve social housing arrangements to reduce concentrated areas of disadvantaged people
  • improve access by Indigenous people to mainstream housing, including home ownership
  • increase the supply of affordable housing.

Three National Partnership Agreements have been endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments to underpin the NAHA in achieving the key outcomes of the reform agenda. These are:

Table of contents:

National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness

The Australian and Queensland Governments are investing $284.6 million over five years (2008–09 to 2012–13) to reduce homelessness in Queensland, as part of the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness.

The agreement includes interim targets to monitor progress made to reduce homelessness. The interim targets are ambitious and aim to achieve the following outcomes by 2013:

  • Overall homelessness will be reduced by 7 per cent.
  • Rough sleeping will be reduced by 25 per cent.
  • Indigenous homelessness will be reduced by 33 per cent.

The response to homelessness will be implemented through three strategies:

  • People who become homeless will move quickly through crisis support to stable housing with the support they need so that homelessness does not recur.
  • Services intervene early to prevent people from becoming homeless.
  • Services will be more connected and responsive to achieve sustainable housing, improve economic and social participation and end homelessness for their clients.

The Queensland Government has developed an Implementation Plan to meet the interim targets set by the NationalPartnership Agreement on Homelessness in partnership with the community services sector.

The plan consists of investment in new and expanded services and development activities to improve the capacity of the community services sector to provide tailored support to people who are homeless and help them move to stable accommodation.

Queensland's strategies to reduce homelessness build on existing investment in the Responding to Homelessness Strategy and one social housing system.

Under the strategy, the Queensland Government committed $235.5 million over four years (2005–09) to expand and better integrate existing services and to establish a range of new and innovative services to assist homeless people.

National Partnership Agreement on Social Housing

The Australian Government is providing $80 million over two years for the construction of new social housing in Queensland.

It will allow disadvantaged families to access safe and secure housing that meets their needs and assist homeless people to transition to longer-term accommodation.

The agreement expires in 2010.

The Queensland Government has also invested $500 million over five years from 2007–08 from the Future Growth Fund to expand the supply of social housing.

National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing

The Australian Government has committed $1.156 billion over 10 years for housing reform in remote Indigenous communities throughout Queensland.

The agreement will address significant overcrowding, homelessness, poor housing conditions and the severe housing shortage in remote communities.

The funding will provide more than 1,140 new houses to be built and upgrades to more than 1,200 existing houses in remote communities.

Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan

The Australian Government is also investing $1.2 billion over the next three years to build more than 4,000 new social housing properties in Queensland, as part of the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan. The majority of these properties will be one to two bedroom dwellings.

The stimulus plan includes a further $80 million to be invested over two years for the repair and maintenance of 9,400 social housing dwellings in Queensland.

Queensland's one social housing system will ensure that new social housing is allocated to people with the greatest housing need, including those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.