The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) congratulates the Hon Julie Collins MP on her appointment to Cabinet as the Minister responsible for the housing portfolio. “We warmly welcome Ms Collins to her new role” said Wendy Hayhurst, CHIA’s CEO. “We have long argued that housing deserves a seat at the Cabinet table. Access to a safe, secure affordable home is fundamentally important to all Australians and to the success of our national economy” she said.
She went on to say “CHIA fully supports the new Government’s housing commitments, including establishing an Australian Housing Future Fund to invest in 30,000 new social and affordable homes. We also strongly welcome the institutional reforms in the ALP’s housing platform. The housing plan, the proposed Housing Supply and Affordability Council and the new national housing agency, Housing Australia – which, together, should provide the essential foundation for a serious effort to tackle our national housing affordability problem.”
Andrew Hannan, CHIA’s Chair said that CHIA and the community housing industry was looking forward to working with the new Minister to deliver on the ALP’s housing agenda. “The sector now manages over 100,000 homes, has $18 billion in assets and brings in $1.8 billion every year in revenue. We are well-placed to play a lead role in working with, and co-investing alongside, governments and the private sector to tackle this big, but solvable national challenge.”
He went on to say that “CHIA would also like to thank the Hon Jason Clare MP for the commitment he brought to his housing role in opposition. As shadow housing minister Jason was unstinting in the time he took to engage with the community housing industry over the last three years. We wish him well in his new portfolio of education.”
