The federal government minister tasked with delivering housing solutions has sidestepped questions on whether a place to call home should be a human right.
The Albanese government will give an extra $1 billion to the states and territories to help boost housing supply as the nation faces a shortage.
The funding, announced in May’s federal budget, has been set aside for jurisdictions to build infrastructure needed for new housing, such as roads, energy and sewerage facilities.
Federal Housing Minister Julie Collins, who is also the homelessness minister, has been pressed on whether housing should be considered a human right.
“Under the constitution, the states have primary responsibility for housing … which is why we need to work with states and territories,” she told ABC’s RN on Friday.
“They are also all investing and what we’ve been doing with our housing ministers meetings is making sure that our effort is co-ordinated.”
A build-to-rent program will be delayed after the Greens and the coalition teamed up to block the legislation in parliament.
The scheme would give investors extra tax incentives in a bid to build 150,000 extra rental homes amid a chronic shortage.
The Senate has sent the proposal to an upper house inquiry that will report back in September.
Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said market rent was still too expensive for most people.
“Labor’s build-to-rent proposal will see property developers get tax handouts to build apartments almost no one will be able to afford,” he said.
Ms Collins said the government had already extensively consulted on the proposed build-to-rent scheme and its help-to-buy scheme.
“We’re happy to have discussions with everybody across the parliament … but we’re not open to negotiation,” she said.
“We want to get this done. We want to make sure that we get homes of every type on the ground as quickly as we can.”
The housing support program funding, paid to jurisdictions on Friday, will set aside $304 million for projects in NSW, $248 million in Victoria, $199 million in Queensland and $105 million in Western Australia.
The South Australian government will receive $67.4 million as part of the housing package while Tasmania, the NT and the ACT will each get $25 million.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the money would help build houses sooner.
“It will build the roads, energy and water we need for new homes because building more homes will make housing more affordable whether you’re building, renting or buying,” he said.
States and territories would be given until September to detail how the funding would be spent.
Ms Collins said the infrastructure money would help pave the way for targets of 1.2 million new homes in the next five years.
“Our government is working with states and territories to help build more homes because this is the best way to address Australia’s housing challenges,” she said.
“We know we need the right infrastructure to get homes on the ground more quickly, which is exactly what this new funding will help deliver.”
