The Housing and Homelessness Ministerial Council (Ministerial Council) met on 17 December 2024 to strengthen Commonwealth, State and Territory collaboration on housing program delivery.
New Ministers were welcomed to the Ministerial Council—including the Queensland Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Youth, the Hon Samuel O’Connor MP; the Northern Territory Minister for Children and Families, the Hon Robyn Cahill OAM; and the Northern Territory Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Development, the Hon Steven Edgington MLA.
The Ministerial Council discussed how to accelerate delivery of Round 2 of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF). A fast-tracked Round 2 will see the Commonwealth’s Housing Australia work closely with State and Territory Governments to deliver up to 5,000 social homes across Australia.
Ministers also discussed passage of the Help to Buy and Build to Rent initiatives. For Help to Buy, it was noted that states are required to have legislation in place to ensure places are available in their jurisdiction.
The Ministerial Council discussed the appointment of Ms Tess Pickering as the interim Commonwealth National Housing Delivery Coordinator. Drawing on her extensive experience in state government and planning, Ms Pickering will work closely with officials and stakeholders across Australia to strengthen relationships and drive progress on increasing housing supply. Ms Pickering will help coordinate Commonwealth, State and Territory efforts to ensure more Australians have a safe and affordable place to call home.
The Ministerial Council agreed its priorities for 2025—including expediting delivery of the 1.2 million homes target, building social and affordable homes leveraging the Commonwealth’s HAFF and the Social Housing Accelerator, and addressing the housing needs of First Nations communities.
Ministers reaffirmed their collective commitment to close collaboration on programs that will expedite delivery of additional housing.
The Ministerial Council is working together to accelerate construction of well-located homes and unblock barriers to housing supply.
The Ministerial Council will next meet in 2025.