CHIA has produced a short precis of the NHFIC review which has recently been released.
Download PDF here
CHIA: NHFIC Review Report
Category Archives: News
NHFIC: Social Bond Report 2021
The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) has released its Social Bond Report for 2020–21. NHFIC’s Social Bond Report provides insights into bond issuances, including borrower profiles and use of proceeds.
Highlights include:
- Issuing 3 bonds – including NHFIC’s first sustainability bond and longest-tenor bond, and first floating rate note – raising a total of $805 million.
- Supporting more than 4,900 dwellings, with around two-thirds (65 per cent) of the CHP loans funded by the three bonds underpinning new housing supply.
- Provided 9 community housing providers with an estimated $161 million in fee and interest savings, through longer tenor and lower-interest loans.
- Continued to attract private investment into social and affordable housing in Australia, by growing NHFIC’s investor base domestically and offshore, with 7 new offshore investors.
- Meeting the housing needs of a range of cohorts including vulnerable women, indigenous households, and people with disabilities.
Full media release here
Social Bond Report here
CHIA submission: Inquiry into housing affordability & supply
CHIA has made its response into this enquiry. The full submission can be viewed under ‘Our Advocacy’
With thanks to sector colleagues for their support and endorsement (noting some have made their own submission)
CHIA Victoria, CHIA QLD, CHIA ACT, NATSIHA, Shelter WA, ShelterTAS, Q Shelter, ACTShelter, Mission Australia.
CHIA: Sector rejects Mr Falinski’s uninformed and prejudiced comments about social and affordable housing
A coalition of affordable housing advocacy peak bodies has rejected the comments made by Jason Falinski MP, chair of the Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue’s Inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia, labelling them as uninformed and prejudiced. CHIA, Homelessness Australia, and National Shelter, object in the strongest terms to Mr Falinski’s misrepresentation of the sector and disregard for the important contribution that affordable housing makes to the wellbeing of Australians in housing need.
Mr Falinski’s statements at UDIA’s National TV event on 9 September denigrating social and affordable housing come in the same week that the Women’s Safety Summit issued a statement recognising that ‘Affordable, accessible long-term housing…… is fundamental to the safety and recovery of victim-survivors and must be a priority.’
Full release here
Expert housing panel: Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees conference
At the AIST (Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees) ASI 2021 conference last week one of many discussions that took place was on a newly developed investment model in affordable housing that aims to overcome some of the traditional barriers to pension fund investing in this asset class and deliver solid returns for members.
Carrie Hamilton, Consultant, Housing Action Network, Wendy Hayhurst, CEO @ CHIA and Associate Professor Christian (Andi) Nygaard, Deputy Director, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology as an expert panel provided their insights into this topic. The recording can be heard here.
St Patricks: Innovative project to provide housing for 18 women
Funding has been secured for the construction of 18 prefabricated homes in North Fremantle for older women who are experiencing homelessness, a first in the provision of social housing in the metro area.
The homes will be built on vacant rail reserve land, leased on a peppercorn basis from the Public Transport Authority (PTA) through the Department of Communities.
WA has experienced pressure in the housing market since the advent of COVID-19, and there is significant demand for social housing options for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
This project is a partnership between My Home Australasia Limited (‘’My Home’’) and St Patrick’s Community Support Centre Limited (St Pat’s), and has been enabled with support from Lotterywest and the Minderoo Foundation.
Full media release here
Statement on Housing for Women’s Safety: Social housing cannot be overlooked during women’s safety summit
CHIA is pleased to be one of the 240+ signatories to the Statement on Housing for Women’s Safety, organised through Everybody’s Home. These organisations are concerned “about the continuing toll of violence against women, and lack of Government action to provide safe homes, so women and children can escape violence and rebuild their lives. Failing to include housing for women’s safety on the Agenda at the National Summit on Women’s Safety highlights the lack of focus on this critical issue. You simply can’t talk about women’s safety without talking about safe and affordable homes.”
For the full statement please click here
Media Release: Social and affordable rental housing: time for all levels of government to invest in this transformational social infrastructure
The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) applauds the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan’s break through call for all levels of government to invest in social and affordable rental housing. The Plan recognises that ‘well-maintained and designed social housing provides many community benefits, supporting individual and societal wellbeing and productivity, and reducing costs in health and justice services’ and recommends the design and implementation of programs to increase supply’.
“Infrastructure Australia is to be commended for the focus on social infrastructure in this plan. Too often Australian governments have viewed social and affordable rental housing investment solely as an impost and overlooked its positive impacts, not just for the individual who gets a home but for other service budgets.” said Wendy Hayhurst, CHIA’s CEO. “Only last week, for example the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) published research showing that helping ex-prisoners through social housing typically cuts re-offending and saves the tax payer thousands of dollars.”
Full media release here
Sign the Statement on Housing for Women’s Safety
CHIA is urging its members and the wider sector to join us in calling on the Government to ensure access to safe and affordable housing is a key part of its agenda to improve safety for women and children.
On 6 September the Federal Government will hold the National Summit on Women’s Safety, a key part of the process of developing the 5th National Action Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.
Although organisations in the domestic and family violence sector, First Nations organisations and communities, and the broader community sector have called on Government to make access to safe and affordable housing a key part of its agenda to improve safety for women, housing hasn’t been included on the agenda for the summit, or in the preceding roundtables.
To highlight the importance of this issue, Everybody’s Home is inviting your organisation is invited to sign this Statement on Housing for Women’s Safety. A representative of your organisation, who is authorised to speak on behalf of the organisation, can sign the form. EH will then present the Statement to the Government.
CHIA welcomes James King, CEO Unison, as its Vic Region Director
CHIA is delighted to welcome James King, CEO Unison (pictured left) to its board as Region Director for Victoria. James brings a wealth of experience as CEO at Unison, and is also a non executive director on the CHIA Vic board. CHIA is looking forward to working with James in this capacity.
James has joined the CHIA National board following the retirement of Stephen Nash (pictured left) in July. Stephen was formerly Managing Director at Common Equity Housing Ltd in Victoria. On behalf of its board and staff, CHIA would like to acknowledge the contribution that Stephen made to the work of CHIA and wishes him well for the future.
Submission to the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and their Children
CHIA has made a submission to the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and their Children.
This submission is also supported by CHIA Victoria, CHIA NSW, CHIA ACT, CHIA QLD, ACTShelter, QShelter, ShelterWA and ShelterTAS.
Many of our members provide accommodation specifically targeted at women (and their children) who have experienced housing insecurity due to domestic violence, and are amongst the organisations awarded contracts under the Commonwealth government’s Safe Places Program. We understand that safe, secure and affordable housing needs to be available to assist women escaping violence.
Our members also understand the role that responsive tenancy management can play in responding to DFV. CHOs are often on the front line dealing with the fall out of domestic and family violence (DFV) and have an opportunity to make a significant difference through the implementation of well-designed and evidenced policies and procedures. They need to implement approaches to identifying and responding to DFV that assist victims/survivors to either remain safely in their own home or relocate to a safe environment. CHOs also need to engage with perpetrators in a safe and responsible way.
CHIA is making this written submission to express our concern that housing – its provision and management – is not receiving the attention it merits. The silence on housing in the consultation guide is disappointing. Similarly, its omission from the agenda of the Women’s Summit and the apparent absence of housing as an explicit focus of any of the Monash University workshops is a concern.
Download the full submission here
NHFIC: new research paper on Stamp Duty Reform
Released yesterday, Stamp Duty Reform: Benefits and Challenges draws on the most recent data to assess the benefits and reform considerations when phasing out stamp duty in favour of a broad-based land tax.
Families across all states and territories, except the ACT, are paying substantially more stamp duty when they move house than they were 20 years ago which is hindering mobility and the efficient use of the housing stock, according to the research paper.
The paper also explores how replacing stamp duty with a broad-based land tax in all states and territories would help improve economic efficiency, and that a shorter phase in period could help limit the impact of house price growth on the cost of the transition. The aim of transitioning from stamp duty to land tax is not to increase revenue per se, and the paper demonstrates that the transition can be achieved in a revenue neutral way.
Full media release here
Report here
Coast2Bay Housing Group reaches top tier of community housing providers across Australia
Coast2Bay Housing Group has been re-assessed by the Queensland registar of the National Regulatory System for Community Housing and elevated to Tier 1 provider status.
Chairman, Gordon Sutherland, is celebrating this milestone noting that “this achievement has been part of our strategic plan for 8 years and sets the organisation up to grow and develop further”.
Only 39 other organisations have this status nationally and the decision marks a significant step for the locally based community and affordable housing provider that is celebrating its 30th year in 2021.
Chief Executive, Andrew Elvin, says “this re-classification recognises the growth of the company and its success in attracting over $20m for its construction program over the next year and further plans for investment of up to $100m over the 5 year horizon”.
Full media release here
‘Housing: Taming the Elephant in the Economy’
Yesterday the Constellation Project launched a report produced for the Housing and Productivity Research Consortium: ‘Housing: Taming the Elephant in the Economy’.
This research is a City Futures Research Centre report investigating the ways that Australia’s housing system impacts on financial stability, inequality and productivity. The key finding is that damaging impacts of over-expensive housing are more pervasive than conventionally recognised, and that the Commonwealth Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia should therefore pay greater attention to this issue.
The reports can be found via the links below:
Housing: Taming the elephant in the economy [full report]
Housing: Taming the elephant in the economy [4-page summary]
Housing: Taming the elephant in the economy [videoclip summary by Prof Duncan Maclennan – 11 mins]
Media coverage of the report so far includes the SMH/Age and a 10 minute interview with Prof Maclennan on ABC RN Breakfast.
The media release in support of the report can be found here.
A recording of the launch event can be viewed here (1hr)
New CFO for Coast2Bay in QLD
CEO of Coast2Bay Housing Group, Andrew Elvin, has today announced the appointment of Lynda Delaforce as the new Chief Financial Officer from 21 June. This position will be a key part of the C2B Executive team and critical to the implementation of the organisations plans to implement the Partnering for Growth program and secure finance to support the large scale and ongoing development pipeline .
Full media release here
Victorians to be housed as part of a ground breaking initiative
Victorians will soon have a range of new housing options delivered via a ground-breaking partnership approach led by Homes Victoria.
Australia’s leading not for profit housing provider and a key member of the Building Communities consortium, Community Housing Limited (CHL) is delighted to announce the consortium has been nominated as the preferred proponent to redevelop vacant Homes Victoria land in Brighton, Flemington and Prahran.
Full media release here