Australian Housing Policy: Addressing the Housing Problem in the Country

The Australian government has developed a housing policy to address the housing problem in the country, which includes providing affordable and accessible housing facilities to the citizens, especially the disadvantaged and low-income earners.

Running head: AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL POLICY 1
Australian Social Policy
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Australian Housing policy
There have been several issues that affects the Australian housing sector for a
mentioned period of time. This was majorly observed in the cities and towns. These problems
did drive for the development of Australian housing policy, and their struggle is currently
being for the changes that have been witnessed in the housing sector. The demand for
housing facilities in the country has been on the rise and the demand is increasing at a much
faster rate as compared to the rate of housing supply in the country. The government of
Australia had reported that the reason for a drop-in home ownership is due to a rise in severe
overcrowding in town and cities. The government had established the National Housing
Finance and Investment Corporation. It provided the low cost finance for the housing
providers and the long-term goals. The purpose of this housing facility is to support the
private and expand the housing sectors of the housing sectors. The responsibilities and duties
of the Australian government include communities, vulnerable people, seniors, settlement
services, welfare reforms, disability, carers and safety of the women. The city does not have
enough rental housing facilities, the problem of accommodation then emerges.
The government-initiated housing assisted policy, which has by far changed
sustainability with time. The government has achieved this through the provision of the social
housing together with housing assisted facilities. The government was noted to enact this
policy, shifting from low-income earners families to those who are considered more
vulnerable in the community. The government housing policies have mainly focused on the
planning and development of more affordable and accessible houses across the country and
majorly in cities where there is huge overcrowding of people. Linking this work with Council
of Australian Governments, the report concerning the cause facility showed that the
government was not working alone in fostering housing facilities to its citizens,
Commonwealth was also involved in the fight against the housing problem. These two

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focused their efforts towards ensuring a steady supply of accommodation facility, ensuring
their affordability and constructing of beautiful houses as a form of investment asset
(Arthurson, & Jacobs, 2004).
The government assisted housing policy is also currently focusing on increasing the numbers
of housing facilities as the country has for a while experiencing several tourists in the
country.
The system aims on the provision of housing facilities to the most vulnerable and mostly
in the low and moderate-income earners. The government also has a policy for consideration
of the disadvantage in the society. Together with Commonwealth, the government of
Australia has helped in shaping the housing policy through the National Affordable
Housing Agreement (NAHA). This organization works to ensure that all Australian
nationality will have access to safe, sustainable and affordable houses that will contribute the
improving the social and economic life of its citizens (Seelig et al., 2008). The government of
Australia together with Commonwealth developed the housing policy to achieve the
following objective:
i) Provision of sustainable housing facilities to people who are holes or are at a risk
of becoming homeless. This policy was to ensure that all citizens of Australia
have access to housing facilities, especially the disadvantaged and low-income
earners.
ii) Availing of affordable houses: this policy was intending to ensure that the citizens
have access to cheap and affordable houses in a measure to control private house
provider to charge exorbitant process.
iii) Ensure that every citizen has access to responsive and efficient housing market.
This policy was to ensure that those looking for houses do find them at their

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convenience by availing the available household facilities and their directory of
locality.
iv) Ensuring that Indigenous people have access to housing facilities: this mainly
focused on the disadvantaged community in Australia to ensure that they have
access to the best housing facilities in the country.
v) The indigenous community has access to better housing amenities. This policy
was put in place to ensure that there is reduced overcrowding especially in remote
areas where these low-income families are located.
The government also developed policy aimed at reforming the currently existing situation in
the country. These are focused at scenarios that will improve the housing services and
programs developed. They, for example, include aspects such as:
a) Housing integration exercise; the government through perfuming integration of
housing exercise with other mainstream especially one which generates income to
people such as employment services was formed to ensure that every citizen is
ascertained to have a comfortable housing facility. Through taking out part of their
monthly income, the government paid for their housing requirement, and there was no
excuse whatsoever for the lack of housing facility to the working class.
b) Efficiency in housing operations: the government ensured that rental houses operated
at optimal levels through the creating of employment to housing tenants who would
then maximize on the housing facilities to accommodate more people.
c) Efficiency in Housing supply: the government ensured that efficient was upheld by
tenants in the supply of housing facility for people to live in. This maximized on the
available space especially in crowded areas such as cities.

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The government developed a housing policy that has been mentioned and discussed
above. It s know as National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation back in
2008. Through the allocation of the budget that fosters at ensuring efficacy in housing
provision. The department of social services together with National Rental Affordability
Scheme did offer financial incentives to investors who wished to build houses and then
rent de=welling at an affordable low cost to tenants. This was mainly to address the
shortage of affordable rental and housing facilities to the nation’s citizen (Jones, &
Seelig, 2004). The organization aims at increasing the number of housing facility in the
country that will be affordable even to the less fortunate in the community especially the
low-income earners and those that are mentally and physically handicapped. A reduction
in rental housing facilities is meant to attract the low and medium income earners to meet
in these houses and thus reducing the housing problem. The organization gives subsidy of
up to ten years to those who enter into a contact with them provided they sign a deal with
giving a discount of twenty percent price below the normal market price of these rental
houses.

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This figure shows the trend in the housing sector before and after the enforcement of
housing policies in the country.
From the country's jurisdiction, the state and territorial policy have responded to housing
issue as a joint responsibility. The housing policy ensures that there is a national
agreement with the likes of public housing and the responsibilities that come with state-
based housing standards such as land release and planning of housing design and
construction. They aim at providing affordable houses, provision of appropriate housing
facilities for the disadvantaged and indigenous in the community, support for the
homelessness and strengthen the whole community through housing projects. They state,
and territorial policy works to ensure:
i) Full support of private investment in their quest to provide affordable housing
facilities through initiating planned reforms in the sector.

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ii) Demonstration of new methods of provision of housing facilities through initiating
innovative projects with developers and private sectors.
iii) Creation of integrated housing assistance system through implementation of
reforms. This is especially with indigenous communities who are considered
disadvantaged in the country.
The government has also developed policy in which people wished to, but their homes have
been assisted to do so. This is especially seen with the mid and low-income earners. By
incorporation of direct and indirect measures of assistance, the government has so far enabled
some families to buy their house. The government has achieved this through:
a) FHOG; this is a program initiated by the government to compensate buyers of homes
after they have been imposed by service and good tax on purchasing the housing
facility.
b) Fast home saver account is a program that has assisted mainly in saving money so
that they can be able to buy their first homes through accounts imposing very minimal
taxes and receive the certain governmental contribution of certain basis.
c) Home purchase assistant mainly for the indigenous Australians is a program that aims
at equipping the indigenous Australian who are considered the low-income earners
with mean through which they can affordably buy housing facility.
The department of the social services supports and helps the communities with a set
of services and programs. The government has therefore developed policies in the
assisted private sector delaying with rental houses. Through the creation of demand base
and charging no taxes on their income, the government has tried to encourage the private
sector with adequate resources to create housing facilities for the Australian population.

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This has been reflected in the reduced monthly rental requirement which has impacted
positively on the low and medium income earners turn up to accommodate these houses.
The government has also considered the homeless Australians by funding a range of
services aimed at supporting the homeless or those that are more likely to be homeless in
the near future. Through funding some agencies across the country, the government has
ensured special housing services have been delivered to the homeless in the country (Jone
et al., 2007).
This figure has been used to illustrate the effort made by the government through
enforcing of housing policies and working through different bodies to ensure that the
housing problem in the country is completely eradicated.

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Framework to support the intervention of health policy
The Community Mental Health Activities covers the well-being of the individuals
living in the country. A framework defines the platform to put into consideration approaches
related to a chronic condition. In the health policy reforms enforced by the Australian
government, the framework has with the special focus of provision of affordable housing
facility to its citizens. The organizations therefore provide help and assistance for those
individuals who have been detected with mental illness. Mental health promotion, education
and advocacy is supported for the betterment of the ill persons. The framework provided will
ensure a shared interest in housing provision. The Australian government has enacted the
public housing policy requirements must be met by all housing providers in an attempt to
ensure effectiveness and uniform in housing provision across the population.
Purpose
The government works to ensure that the policy developed regarding the general
housing facilities of the public are well followed. Proper means of ensuring that every citizen
is entitled to a home should be the point of focus, and several objectives should be laid down
and the best strategy chosen to deal with the housing problems.
Applicability
The government should ensure that the strategy they see best in dealing with housing
problem has been put in place to ensure they are if applicable to all. It should provide the
result, not just immediate ones but along lasting ones that can minimize if not completely
eradicate cases of homelessness to the general population (Burrows, 2005).

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Principles
To ensure results in the heath policies the following principles should be taken into
considerations:
a) Consistency; the Australian government through the various housing organizations
should be consistency in their operational such as the provision of subsidies to private
house owners so that they can reduce the rental costs.
b) Evidence-based and accessible; through past experiences, the Australian government
should carry out the statistical analysis and draw a conclusion of past occurrences and
thus develop a strategy for dealing with the housing problems in regions that have
been affected in the past since they are most prone when compared to other regions.
c) Integrity; the government should ensure that funds entrusted in the housing sector to
carry out housing development exercise are handle with the utmost integrity and that
there is no corruption and stealing of money at all costs.
d) Objectivity; Their main focus should be on reducing cases of the housing problems to
the general public. The strategy of put by the government in development should form
part of their main objective as it by their housing policy.
e) Population-focuses; since we are dealing with the general public, the housing policy
should be focused on the provision of housing services.
f) Risk management; the government should identify the risks involved when enforcing
the housing policies. Risks such as corruption and stealing of housing money should
be properly dealt with. The government should also be aware of the risk that some
individual may take the housing campaign as a mean to foster their political image
other than caring for the housing care of the public.
Legislative contract

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The government should enforce several bills and Acts in the Parliament and protect
the housing policies under some them. General housing policy should form part of the
country's constitution and should be respected as a form of general law.
Mandatory requirement
The government should foster means of ensuring that housing facilities have been
provided with a permanent solution to ensure that the citizen experience no more
cases of lack of homes to live into. Cases of homelessness should be controlled
through aspects various logic methods. The government should also put up measures
of future housing preparedness and management
Theoretical underpinnings social health policy
The government role for corporate citizenship is the role of providing excellent social policy.
The environmental and social challenges that face the society are too many to be efficiently
solved by the government as one. The government can increase the country's economic
activity by instituting corporate citizenship. Activities like corporate philanthropy,
community investment, social entrepreneurship, social capital venture and employee
volunteering can be considered a form of the policy framework. The migrants and refugees
hat settle in Australia respond to the particular needs by providing encouragement. All this
are aimed at providing employment opportunities to the inhabitants of the local community
hence ensuring that they have a regular flow of income. Under proper management, it will
transform the region into a better economic position unlike in cases where the community has
been neglected. Hence corporate framework is considered the most effective form of delaying
with poverty, environmental degradation and inequality as the poverty level will decrease,
measure will be developed to protect the environment and promote economic equality to the
community to the community when compared to other regions that had earlier developed

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(Adler, &Ziglio, 1996). These then call for the selected individuals working in unison with
the aim of achieving wider societal objectives and goals that have been pointed out that
require immediate attention. Hence, corporate citizenship has been known to aid the
government since they are known to legitimize, substitute, and complement all forms of
government policies and efforts.
The government has a primary role in the provision of the social policy. However, business
and economic activities will at times be a center of generating new perspectives in solving
social problems especially to the disadvantaged in the society. Partnerships have been made
with the local communities to make the disadvantaged create a more sustainable community
by building on their knowledge, skills, and history. This has helped each in a community to
participate in an activity that will enable them to generate income of their own. This will
boost their disposable income and place them on developing economic stage of lifestyle,
unlike the poverty group in which they were before. More disposable incomes mean that they
can afford to live better lives and hence their quality of lives improves. This will far much
benefit the community other that the community which has been for long neglected and they
are hardly any measures put in place to change that. This has helped turn around their family
income from peasant receivers to middle-class earners, the aspect of alcoholism and fostering
economic development in their societies. Favorable aspects of determination, economic
oriented and prosperity will bloom in the society. The government acts as the primary driver;
however, the disadvantaged have improved on their efforts and have approached the private
and non-governmental organization to participate in the development as equal partners. The
activities that the communities are involved in benefit the community, develop morale, and
create interest by other investors of future business sustainability in the region. In such
instances, the government will act as facilitators rather than the sole provider and role holder
in the provision of all forms of economic, social and political activities. The government will

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be there to ensure the rights of every citizen in the community are well guarded. It will also
engage in the provision of infrastructure and such as electricity, roads, communication
networks and internet connectivity, water among other. To foster their growth further, the
government can provide subsidies in these areas say like cheap lands and revenue charges to
all companies that sate up their operation sport around the community. Many companies will
be attracted by this and thus providing the relevant jobs either manual or professional one
according to the community's inhabitants qualification. This will improve on the community
economic position in the country (Phillips, & Goodwin, 2014).
Business participation in policy-making process has been noted before. However, with the
neglected and disadvantaged in the community, partnerships have to be formed and operated
at the grass root level, since this is the main source of problem and poverty to the community.
The operation of partnership at the formal and bureaucratic level will not gunner any form of
advantages to these rising communities, as they cannot compete with the economic giants at
the top cream level. Hence, a decentralized nature of business policies is the one that will
impact the disadvantaged community better as they help in the distribution of economic
activities and flow of cash at the community level when compared to neo-corporation
(Arthurson, & Jacobs, 2009).
Corporate citizenship also has been associated with negative economic and political
dimensions. The political dimension is mainly focused on civil society players like the non-
governmental organization which is dangerous and unwelcome. The disadvantaged in the
community accuse the NGO who have totally failed in their role of global salvation. These
non-governmental organizations enter into a partnership with corporations, and they make
sure that these companies adhere to their legislation and tally their performance against the
ethical, environmental and social score. These only seek to bestow legitimacy on
uncountable, ill-formed and undemocratic NGOs in accordance to critics. These NGO in

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some instances will not put the interests of the community in which it is operating first. It will
operate with the aim of minimizing their cost of production and maximizing profits. In some
instances, sources of raw materials needed in production may be lying in the community, but
the NGO prefers to abstain the material from anywhere since they are cheaper and are profits
oriented instead of employing the locals to obtain they so that at least they gain generate
income for themselves. In some instances, these nongovernmental organizations may be
involved in environmental degradation and show no efforts whatsoever in controlling their
pollution. Aspects such as release of their wastes to the community's water bodies or
polluting their air through use of heavy diesel engines leads to death of water animals and
acidic rain, a factor that worsens their living standards as they will be sicker but since they
are after maximizing profits they won't spend extra cash in controlling their wastes.

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