This week is Homelessness Week in Australia, held annually to advocate for the solutions needed to end homelessness. The theme this year is ‘Homelessness Action Now’.

Here in the ACT we have Australia’s highest rate of persistent homelessness – by far. Our community needs and deserves action. 

Today we are announcing Independents for Canberra’s shared policy commitments to address our worsening housing crisis. Specifically, all Independents for Canberra candidates commit to:

• Creating a social housing trigger whereby Housing ACT is guaranteed funding sufficient to:
  
  
  • Reduce the priority public housing list wait time from 197 days to a maximum of 30 days;
  • Reduce the high needs public housing list wait time from over three years to a maximum of 90 days; and
  • Get the ACT ranking first in Australia in terms of public housing dwelling condition, rather than second last.
    
    
• Implementing a dedicated child and youth homelessness action plan, co-designed with the community sector, to eliminate homelessness among children and young people in the ACT.
  
  
• Establishing a Strata Commissioner to protect the interests of people in apartments and townhouses across the ACT. 

It is a sad reality that here in Canberra many speak about basic shelter through a prism of crisis and desperation. Canberra is our nation’s second-most expensive capital city to rent or buy a house. Our lower-income households have the highest levels of rental stress of any state or territory in Australia.

Less Canberrans are now reporting that they live in suitable housing and our public housing wait list has grown by 80 per cent in the last six years. There are now more than 3,000 households waiting for a home on this list. Despite growing need, the ACT’s public housing stock has been reduced by 8.7 per cent since 2011 while our population has increased by 30 per cent.

We also know that homelessness is affecting increasing numbers of women and children in our community. Over the ten years to 2023, the ACT saw a 64 per cent increase in women and children sleeping rough or in cars. There was a 29 per cent increase in the past year alone.

In 2024, there were 870 children recorded as being homeless in Canberra. More than 400 were under the age of 10.

This is not the kind of society I want my kids growing up in. And it’s simply not good enough in our nation’s capital. We need to take action.

Our plan to tackle Canberra’s social housing and homelessness crises will have a significant impact on the lives of thousands of Canberrans, and we hope to see it supported by all candidates and parties contesting the ACT Election this October.

Because housing is a right, not a luxury.

As our city densifies, a growing number of Canberrans are living under strata title where many report being charged disproportionately high rates and unreasonably high strata levies. Their voices need to be heard, which is why we’re also supporting the establishment of a Strata Commissioner.

You can find further information about our agreed positions on housing policy at www.independentsforcanberra.com/policy. 

We will be discussing these policy commitments on social media during Homelessness Week @INDforCBR, as will our candidates on their own profiles. We would appreciate your support in sharing these commitments across our community. We welcome your feedback on all of our shared policy commitments. We look forward to sharing further commitments with you throughout August.

To provide feedback or request a meeting, you can write to me at [email protected]. 

Thank you for supporting the independent movement. 

It’s time for change!

Tom

Thomas Emerson