List of recommendations

Recommendation 1

2.346

The Committee recommends that the Australian Bureau of Statistics commission an independent review of the statistical definition of homelessness and its operation, having particular regard to the circumstances in which persons living in severely crowded dwellings and boarding houses should be categorised as homeless. The review should consider:

national and international best practice;

the need for greater inclusion of non-western and Indigenous Australian cultural practices and perspectives; and

in relation to overcrowding, the need for the use of other measures in addition to or in place of the Canadian National Occupancy Standard.

Recommendation 2

2.357

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government commission an independent review of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ collection and use of Census of Population and Housing data to estimate the homeless population, having particular regard to the problem of overcounting and undercounting particular categories of homeless persons and demographic groups.

The review should involve stakeholder consultation and should be completed in time to inform the conduct of the 2026 Census.

Recommendation 3

2.363

The Committee recommends that the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare implement changes to the Specialist Homelessness Services Collection to ensure that data collected:

more comprehensively captures unmet need for services and casual contacts with service providers;

more clearly identifies clients’ reasons for seeking assistance;

provides for spatial analysis of demand for services;

can be disaggregated by age and sex to support the development of targeted policies and responses; and

is more inclusive of diverse groups and needs.

Recommendation 4

2.364

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government provide funding to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to establish a national longitudinal housing and homelessness data set.

The Australian Government should also give consideration to providing funding for research projects to analyse the data set and identify evidence-based policy and service responses.

Recommendation 5

2.367

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments, in consultation with community housing providers, improve the availability, quality and consistency of data on community housing and Indigenous community housing.

Recommendation 6

2.368

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to ensure the regular publication of statistics on residential tenancy evictions, giving consideration to the need to establish a common framework for such data.

Recommendation 7

2.369

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, including through the introduction of mandatory requirements on state and territory governments, improve data collection and reporting on housing stock and overcrowding to assist with monitoring and evaluation, planning and strategic investment at a regional and community level.

The Committee further recommends specific measures to improve data relating to housing outcomes for Indigenous Australians to inform all governments’ efforts to meet the National Agreement on Closing the Gap target on housing.

Recommendation 8

2.371

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments, in consultation with homelessness and community services, improve data collection and reporting on the COVID-19 vaccination of Australians experiencing homelessness, particularly rough sleepers.

Recommendation 9

2.382

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments, develop a needs-based funding methodology to be applied to future inter-governmental housing and homelessness funding agreements, to be completed no later than June 2022.

Recommendation 10

2.383

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government undertake an evaluation of Australian Government sponsored social and affordable housing projects, including those delivered by state and territory governments, to be completed no later than June 2022.

Recommendation 11

2.393

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government commission an independent review of Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which should consider the maximum rates and method of indexation of the payment and its interaction with other relevant payments.

Recommendation 12

2.397

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government waive or refinance at a concessional rate the historical housing-related debts of state and territory governments, in exchange for:

an amount equal to the savings to each jurisdiction being reinvested into affordable housing, with 50 per cent of new housing stock to be leased to community housing providers; and

agreement on appropriate planning and zoning reforms in each jurisdiction.

Recommendation 13

3.284

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments, review the national priority homelessness cohorts identified in the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement and determine whether new cohorts should be added and/or whether existing cohorts should be removed.

Recommendation 14

3.285

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments, consider strengthening the requirements on state and territory governments in relation to national and state-specific priority homelessness cohorts listed in the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement.

This should include considering requirements such as:

formal consultation with representative groups from priority cohorts;

dedicated funding for measures to address priority cohorts; and

additional evaluation of and reporting on measures taken to address priority cohorts.

Recommendation 15

3.293

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments provide funding for additional crisis, emergency and transitional accommodation, and associated support services including pathways to long-term accommodation, for people at risk of homelessness. This should include dedicated funding for accommodation for victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence.

In addition, the Committee reiterates Recommendation 75 of the report of its inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence, that the Australian Government and state and territory governments consider funding emergency accommodation for perpetrators of such violence, to prevent victim-survivors from having to leave their homes.

Recommendation 16

3.297

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to ensure the availability of an appropriate proportion of social housing and transitional, crisis and emergency accommodation which is accessible and appropriate for people with diverse needs, including but not limited to:

older people;

people living with disability;

people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; and

Indigenous Australians.

Recommendation 17

3.298

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to establish nationally consistent tenancy legislation for victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence to terminate a tenancy when they need to leave a home, or alternatively maintain an existing tenancy when a perpetrator is removed from a home.

Recommendation 18

3.299

Recognising the association between substance abuse and homelessness, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to implement further measures to reduce alcohol-related harms at a whole-of-population level.

In addition, the Committee reiterates Recommendation 60 of the report of its inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence for a public health approach to preventing and managing drug and alcohol related harms experienced by families and children, involving all jurisdictions, including local governments.

Recommendation 19

3.300

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government lead the development of a national integrated approach to housing and homelessness services for Indigenous Australians, co-designed with Indigenous community-controlled organisations and grounded in the principle of self-determination.

Recommendation 20

3.301

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to review public order offences and other offences that disproportionately affect people experiencing homelessness, particularly rough sleepers, and those in a cycle of homelessness, with a view to minimising enforcement-based responses to homelessness.

This should include consideration of sentencing practices and bail conditions for public order offences and the need for effective integration of legal, social, health and other agencies to create pathways out of the justice system.

Recommendation 21

3.302

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to implement strategies to address the risk of exiting into homelessness from state institutions, including hospitals, mental health facilities, correctional institutions and out-of-home-care, including developing a nationally consistent approach to discharge planning and a national definition of ‘no exit into homelessness’.

The Australian Government should also work with state and territory governments to better integrate housing and mental health support services.

Recommendation 22

3.303

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to ensure that:

adequate incentives are in place for social housing providers to accept tenants with high needs or who are at risk of repeat homelessness;

adequate support is available for social housing tenants, particularly those with a history of episodic homelessness, to minimise re-entries into homelessness; and

housing providers and support services are more accountable for the housing outcomes of the people they support.

Recommendation 23

3.304

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments expand the circumstances in which asylum seekers, particularly those on bridging visas, have the right to work and are able to access social housing, transitional, crisis and emergency accommodation, safe-at-home programs, and housing and homelessness services.

Recommendation 24

3.305

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government together with state and territory governments increase investment in economic development and other measures to enhance employment opportunities in rural and regional areas. This should include the creation of new traineeships and apprenticeships in the mining, renewable energy, eco‑tourism and technology sectors.

Recommendation 25

3.306

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government establish a comprehensive strategy to address the financial insecurity of older women. This should include consideration of:

measures relating to superannuation and income support with a view to improving financial outcomes for women; and

the need for new data collection and reporting measures, including new national data sets, to inform polices and strategies targeted at older women.

Recommendation 26

3.307

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in cooperation with state and territory governments, fund data collection and research to address gaps in evidence relating to the prevalence of homelessness and demand for support services among specific vulnerable groups, including but not limited to:

older women;

people living in regional, rural and remote areas;

veterans; and

LGBTIQ+ people.

Recommendation 27

4.234

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state, territory and local governments and community organisations to develop a more integrated ‘place-based’ approach to homelessness prevention and early intervention. This should include:

establishing a national strategic framework for prevention and early intervention, setting out targets, roles and responsibilities, data collection and reporting requirements, and evaluation;

identifying the structural support and resources required to support ‘place-based’ programs; and

funding for ‘place-based’ research and pilot programs.

Recognising the importance of stopping homelessness early in life, the Committee further recommends that there be a particular focus on prevention and early intervention of youth homelessness.

Recommendation 28

4.235

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to strengthen training across the health and community sectors on prevention of and early intervention in homelessness, particularly for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and families.

This should include training on the impact of homelessness and family, domestic and sexual violence on the social and emotional wellbeing of children.

Recommendation 29

4.236

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to ensure that data collection and reporting systems adequately capture the experiences and needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children and families, in order to support the early identification, assessment, support and/or referral of those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Recommendation 30

4.244

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in making relevant funding agreements with state and territory governments and housing providers, incorporate the principles of ‘Housing First’, particularly for any priority groups identified in those agreements.

Recommendation 31

4.254

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state, territory and local governments, seek to increase affordable housing supply when land is rezoned for residential development, through the introduction and harmonisation of inclusionary planning approaches across Australia.

Recommendation 32

4.255

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the National Housing and Finance Investment Corporation, investigate opportunities for attracting greater private-sector investment in social and affordable housing, including from superannuation funds.

Recommendation 33

4.262

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state, territory and local governments to:

ensure the appropriate allocation of social and affordable housing stock to meet the needs of individuals and families at different life stages and accommodate different household family structures;

in appropriate circumstances and locations, amend local government restrictions on secondary dwellings (‘granny flats’); and

consider new measures to encourage the use of secondary dwellings to free up primary dwellings for larger families, including grants to Indigenous community-controlled organisations to construct new secondary dwellings.

Recommendation 34

4.263

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments toward implementing consistent national legislation imposing a ’three strikes’ policy for the eviction of social and affordable housing tenants who repeatedly breach their tenancy obligations.

Recommendation 35

4.276

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state, territory and local governments, develop and implement a ten-year national strategy on homelessness. The scope of a national strategy should include, but not be limited to:

creating new and strengthening existing arrangements for inter-governmental coordination and funding accountability of state and territory governments;

formally recognising and strengthening the role of local government;

identifying opportunities for greater involvement of community organisations and the private sector;

encompassing existing arrangements under the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement and reflecting other relevant Australian Government policies and programs; and

giving effect to other relevant recommendations made in this report.

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