All policies
AustraliaPublished October 2022

National Housing Accord

The Accord lays the groundwork to improving affordability by addressing Australia's housing supply challenges and enabling the delivery of more social and affordable housing. It is an intergovernmental agreement between Commonwealth and State governments, associations representing local governments and superannuation funds, as well as institutional investors and construction industry bodies.

Source document

7

Commitment groups

43

Commitments

1/10

Avg score (1 indicators)

1.2 million new well-located homes over 5 years

9 commitments

$3.5 billion Commonwealth commitment to make payments to state, territory and local governments

Deliver 376,000 new, well-located homes in NSW

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Deliver 306,000 new, well-located homes in Vic

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Deliver 246,000 new, well-located homes in Qld

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Deliver 129,000 new, well-located homes in WA

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Deliver 84,000 new, well-located homes in SA

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Deliver 26,000 new, well-located homes in Tas

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Deliver 21,000 new, well-located homes in ACT

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Deliver 11,000 new, well-located homes in NT

Source: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System Report 2025

Up to 20,000 additional new, affordable dwellings

For 5 years, beginning in mid-2024, the Accord provides payment incentives tied to delivery of the supply of new rental and ownership properties.

9 commitments

10,000 discounted rentals

Discounts of 20–30% against market rent for qualifying tenants.

3,100 new well-located homes in NSW for rent or ownership

2,546 new well-located homes in Vic for rent or ownership

2,049 new well-located homes in Qld for rent or ownership

1,076 new well-located homes in WA

700 new well-located homes in SA for rent or ownership

220 new well-located homes in Tas for rent or ownership

176 new well-located homes in the ACT for rent or ownership

96 new well-located homes in NT for rent or ownership

Improve financing for new social and affordable housing projects

Catalyse institutional financing for social and affordable housing projects.

2 commitments

Facilitate superannuation and institutional capital investment in social and affordable housing

Payment incentives and financing for the Housing Australia Future Fund and the National Housing Infrastructure Facility.

Support the distribution of the HAFF

Collaborative social and affordable housing projects with established State and Territory programs.

Improve zoning, planning and land release

Facilitate supply through reforms to planning and zoning reforms.

3 commitments

Identify land for release

Identify suitable Commonwealth land for release for use in social and affordable housing projects.

Improve zoning reform and release of State/Territory land for use in social and affordable housing

Opportunities to free up well located state land for housing use.

Expedite zoning, planning and land release reforms

Look for immediate opportunities to free up well located land for housing, including affordable housing.

Skilled workforce

Create apprenticeships for use on Government funded housing projects and to support community housing services.

2 commitments

Extend the Australian Skills Guarantee to include apprenticeships on Government funded housing projects

Construction projects must meet targets for use of apprentice labour, with separate targets for female apprentices overall and within each trade.

Strengthen the community housing provider sector

Increase access to affordable housing and build a sustainable housing provider sector.

Support from local government, institutional investors and the building industry

Commitments from supply chain partners to deliver social and affordable housing projects.

8 commitments

Seek council support for social and affordable housing

Work with local government associations to advocate for council commitments to support housing projects.

Commit to investment in affordable housing

Increase investment in affordable housing where the financial interests of investors are met.

Optimise policy to incentivise investment in affordable housing

Collaborate with other investors, industry and government partners to create policy settings that facilitate investment in affordable housing.

Optimise financing approaches to leverage institutional investment in social and affordable housing

Develop an investment pipeline, and continue work on scale, risk return profiles for debt and equity investors.

Industry advocacy for housing targets

Support a commitment to housing targets and the roll out of the affordable housing program.

Promote energy efficiency in housing

New affordable homes should be energy efficient (average 7 stars).

Housing supply pipeline delivery data

Provide data and updates on delivery of the social and affordable housing commitments against the housing supply pipeline.

Housing supply and affordability policy

Collaborate with government on policy solutions to address supply and affordability.

Develop further commitments

For 5 years, beginning in 2024, the Accord provides payment incentives tied to delivery of the supply of new rental and ownership properties, including energy efficiency settings.

10 commitments

Develop the National Housing and Homelessness Plan

Local government participation in plans to improve land supply and build new homes.

Support the development of the National Housing and Homelessness Plan

Support the development of reforms that will encourage more institutional investment in housing.

Support the development of the National Housing and Homelessness Plan (industry)

Facilitate stability in the housing supply pipeline and making the housing supply more responsive to demand.

Investigate barriers to institutional investment

Review barriers to institutional investment, finance and innovation in housing, such as build to rent programs.

Work toward targets for social and affordable housing

Collaborate with community housing providers to achieve social and affordable housing targets.

Create implementation targets for social and affordable housing

A delivery schedule for the commitments in this policy is to be finalised.

Establish the National Housing and Homelessness Plan

Develop and agree to a National Housing and Homelessness Plan.

National Housing Supply and Affordability Council targets

Monitor advice on the suitability of the housing target and capacity for delivery within the residential building industry.

Human rights-based goals and timelines

1

The goal is recognised by the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (among others) as unachievable. Whilst the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council has assessed suitability of the target, it has not considered the target through the human-rights lens, which requires an assessment of the adequacy of the goal, and the allocation of resources required to implement the actions needed to achieve it. The Government is both key actor, and regulator of private market participants and must be accountable for its actions on both levels.

Support investigation into barriers to institutional investment

Support the Commonwealth government investigation into barriers to institutional investment in housing.

Participate in the development of the National Housing and Homelessness Plan

Continuing review of land supply and zoning policies to make supply more responsive to demand.