SPECIAL PREMIERS' CONFERENCE ON HOUSING 3 MARCH 1989
JOINT STATEMENT OF OUTCOME
At the Special Premiers' Conference today, all Premiers, the
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and the
Commonwealth agreed to co-operate in addressing the problems
confronting the housing industry, particularly the supply of
suitable land.
At the Conference, the Commonwealth put forward a major
program of land releases for housing development, amounting
to around 27,000 blocks over the next five years. This is
equivalent to around 15 new suburbs. A further 30,900
blocks will be released in the following five to 10 years.
The Premiers and the Chief Minister responded favourably to
this initiative, and raised some additional issues. These
included difficulties faced by States in providing
infrastructure for new developments in fringe areas and for
higher density developments in some urban areas. New South
Wales and Victoria also raised the issue of the hand back of
surplus Defence Housing for use as public housing.
In the context of decisions to release further land for
housing, concern was expressed by Premiers about the need to
provide housing related infrastructure, and the financial
limitations on them to do this. It was agreed that Premiers
would consider and put forward specific proposals and that
the Commonwealth would give serious consideration to them in
the Premiers, Conference and Loan Council meetings later
this year.
Following consideration of these issues, it was agreed that
there would be bilateral discussions with States on
Commonwealth-owned land identified by the Commonwealth as
available and suitable for housing development. The
Commonwealth also undertook to examine whether other
Commonwealth land identified by the States as suitable for
housing development could also be made available. The
Commonwealth agreed to examine joint-venture arrangements,
as put forward by New South Wales, for developing and
marketing Commonwealth land for housing. Under these
arrangements the Commonwealth would receive no proceeds from
the land until final sales were made.
Concerning Defence Housing, the Commonwealth notes that the
renegotiation of the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement
( Service Personnel) is due to be completed very shortly.
The Commonwealth undertook to have bilateral discussions
with those States seeking them in its consideration of new
arrangements in the next few weeks.
Some less populous States suggested consideration be given
to ways of encouraging more migrants to settle in those
States, rather than in the more heavily populated centres.
The Commonwealth noted that immigration policy had been
changed recently and now includes bonus points if sponsors
live in State nominated areas. The effectiveness of this
new selection system will be kept under review.
The Conference noted that Rental Property Trusts of the kind
promoted by New South Wales can make a significant
contribution to the supply of low cost rental housing. The
Commonwealth agreed to discuss with New South Wales the
marketability of its Trusts, with a view to examining
whether they are taking full advantage of current taxation
provisions. The Commonwealth has also developed a package of measures
directed at problems of land supply, building regulation,
land regulation and local government approval processes.
The program will include initiatives to respond to growing
demand for higher density developments. The States and the
Northern Territory have indicated they are happy to assist
in implementing and funding aspects of this package. It was
also agreed that Local Government be invited to contribute
to this program.
The package of measures includes a three year program of
work to redress inadequacies in the availability of data on
land supply and the composition of demand to be undertaken
in conjunction with the Indicative Planning Council for the
Housing Industry. The States and the Northern Territory
have agreed to participate in this program.
The States and the Northern Territory have also agreed to
participate in a joint program under which financial and
technical assistance will be provided over the next three
years to Local Government to review the technical content of
residential land development regulations.
The Commonwealth has also announced a program to promote
demonstration studies, co-operation, research and
information dissemination, designed to stimulate improvement
in the administrative aspects of approval processes at the
Local Government level.
The Conference also endorsed the setting up of an expert
task force drawn from Commonwealth, State and Local
Government, the design professions and building industry, to
examine the scope for significant reforms of technical
regulation of building codes and standards.
Resources will be devoted to create the capacity for the
analysis and development of policy in relation to housing
supply within the Department of Industry, Technology and
Commerce.
This package of measures will cost around $ 9m over three
years. The Commonwealth Minister for Industry, Technology
and Commerce, Senator Button, will issue a press release
providing more detail.
The Conference reviewed and warmly supported the performance
of the Joint Venture for more Affordable Housing, also known
as " Green Street". This program, which is jointly supported
by the Commonwealth State and Local Governments, as well as
the industry, has been particularly effective at
demonstrating a wider range of housing choices and the use
of more innovative building and land development techniques.
The project has achieved savings of up to 24 per cent on
house and land development. The Commonwealth will be
working with the States to expand awareness of the Green
Street concept.
The Conference also agreed that early consideration would be
given to a joint Commonwealth-State demonstration program of
higher quality, medium density housing in the inner cities,
particularly older industrial and commercial areas.
The supply of skilled labour to the housing industry is
another significant constraint. Accordingly, the
Commonwealth concluded arrangements with the New South Wales
division of the Housing Industry Association on 30 January
1989 which provided for immigration of a maximum of 225
workers in the building trades in the period to 30 June
1990, in return for an increased apprenticeship training
commitment. Further consultation with the Government,
industry groups, the ACTU and building unions, with a view
to developing a national arrangement for the building and
construction industry began in February 1989.
Concerns were raised about the effectiveness of the First
Home Owners Scheme. It was agreed that the Commonwealth
would give serious consideration to proposals from these
States on the future direction of this Scheme.
At the Conference today, the States and the Northern
Territory undertook to review legislation and regulations
under their control, with a view to improving their systems
of land supply and use.
In this regard, the Conference welcomed the initiatives
recently taken by the Government of New South Wales to
increase substantially the turn-off of serviced land and
introduce appeal rights against Local Government decisions
on zonings for medium density housing.
The Conference recognised that there is no " quick fix" to
the problems confronting the housing industry at present.
However, the constructive and co-operative approach of all
participants at today's Conference, which all have agreed to
continue into the future, has laid the groundwork for
substantial relief to the supply-side constraints affecting
the industry.