The Australian Capital Territory Parliament has enshrined the right to housing as a human right! HAAG supported this legislation through our submission, and we call on all other states and territories to follow suit.

Housing in Australia has been seen as primarily a commodity, or a vehicle for wealth creation, with policies supporting private ownership – often for multiple investment properties – at the expense of those who rent, and fuelling the escalation of rents and house prices. People on low incomes are left to the whims of an increasingly expensive private rental market, or waiting years for a chance to access social housing that has seen decades of underinvestment. As a result, people on low incomes, including older people, are vulnerable to rent increases, evictions, and homelessness.

Enshrining the right to housing in law will help to reorient the way housing is perceived, providing greater protection for tenants and ensuring government planning and policy development considers the right to housing. The ACT government will now be required to consider housing as a human right within legislation, policy development and service delivery. It will strengthen protections for those disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis, provide legal recourse if the right to adequate housing is violated, and foster better policy and planning processes.