Public Housing Campaigns

FAIN stands in full support of public housing as a fundamental human right, the only long-term, rental affordable housing for people on low and very low incomes, and an essential pillar of a fair and inclusive society.

Public housing provides accessible, secure, and affordable long-term rentals (i.e. stable homes), for individuals and families, ensuring that all Victorians have access to the fundamental human right of shelter.

In recent years, the demand for ‘affordable housing’ has sharply increased, with many facing housing insecurity, homelessness or being priced out of the private rental market.

The 30/70 rule for rental housing in Australia is used to measure if a tenant can afford weekly rent payments without rental stress, weekly rental payments should not exceed 30% of the household’s total net income.

Public housing offers a vital solution to these challenges, and we strongly advocate for its expansion and protection.

We believe:

Housing is a fundamental human right

Every Victorian should have access to safe, secure, and ‘affordable housing’.

Public housing is the only affordable housing
for people on low and very low incomes

• it helps safeguard this fundamental right to housing.
• it provides long-term, government-owned and managed public housing for people on low and very low incomes.
• it ensures rent is not more than 25% of the total household income (combined incomes of all household members 18 years of age and over).

Investment in public housing is critical
to meet the growing demand

We call on the Australian Government to fund state/territory governments adequately to address three key issues:

• to prevent existing homelessness from worsening.
• to eliminate waitlist backlogs.
• to eliminate shortfalls predicted by 2032.

We call on the Australian Government to raise the revenue required to prioritise the construction and maintenance of public housing and other essential public services such as childcare, education and training, employment support programs and healthcare by:

• increasing corporate tax rates for multinational corporations.
• increasing personal income tax rates for billionaires and other wealthy individuals to the ‘same average rates of tax as everyday Australians’.
• reduce funding for military spending by an annual decrease of at least 10% under the 2024 National Defence Strategy.

In protecting public housing from privatisation

We oppose the privatisation or outsourcing of public housing assets, which often results in a loss of affordability and reduced access for those in need.

Public housing must remain under public ownership, management and control to guarantee long-term stability and equitable access. Stock must be managed to meet community standards of maintenance and provision of amenities.

In supportive services for tenants

In addition to secure housing, tenants must have access to public support services such as childcare, education and training, employment assistance, healthcare and legal assistance.

These services play a crucial role in ensuring that housing stability leads to improved social and economic outcomes.

Targets are to be set for each objective and reported to the Parliament and the general public annually within 3 months of the end of the financial year.