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National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing)

Current status

This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.

Policy area

Budget, tax & economy

What does this bill do?

Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated.'s finance body would be directed to back housing-enabling infrastructureBasic works and services that have to be in place before homes can be built, such as sewerage, water, electricity, roads and site cleanup. in regional, rural and remote Australia, so more projects like water, power and roads could support new homes outside cities.

Why was it introduced?

Regional housing projects were left behind because NHIFThe funding pool inside NHFIC that provides loans, investments and grants for works like water, power and roads that make new housing possible. funding was hard to access, mostly went to metropolitan areas, and smaller councils and utilities struggled to fund basic housing infrastructure. The bill directs Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated. to prioritise regional infrastructure, clarify councils and utilities can get funding, help smaller applicants, and push at least 30% of NHIFThe funding pool inside NHFIC that provides loans, investments and grants for works like water, power and roads that make new housing possible. support toward regional areas.

Broader context

Australia already had a national housing finance body and major housing funding measures in train, but in 2023 rent increases, high interest rates and a broader housing shortage sharpened complaints that regional, rural and remote areas were being overlooked and that smaller councils and utility providers struggled to fund the water, power and road works needed before homes could be built. This bill responded by trying to steer more National Housing Infrastructure FacilityThe funding pool inside NHFIC that provides loans, investments and grants for works like water, power and roads that make new housing possible. support and board attention toward regional projects, but while the wider Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated. program moved ahead, the bill itself was later removed from the Notice PaperParliament's list of bills and business to be dealt with; if a bill is removed from it, the bill is no longer moving forward. in June 2024.

Key criticism

No strong public case against this bill is recorded; the main reservation is that redirecting or highlighting regional infrastructure funding may still fall short if councils, utilities and delivery systems lack capacity to turn finance into homes quickly. In the parliamentary publicly available sources, speakers supported the bill, and broader concerns were mostly indirect implementation risks rather than opposition to its regional housing goal.

Who supported it?

Helen Haines MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from some crossbench members.

Introduced in House 11 Sept 2023
Failed in House 04 June 2024
Did not reach Senate —
Did not become law —

Did it become law?

No

The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.

Final passage

No final passage

The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.

Time before failure

267 days

From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding

Official record

View on APH

Parliament of Australia bill page

Meaning

What does this bill do?

  1. Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated.'s finance body would be directed to back housing-enabling infrastructureBasic works and services that have to be in place before homes can be built, such as sewerage, water, electricity, roads and site cleanup. in regional, rural and remote Australia, so more projects like water, power and roads could support new homes outside cities.

  2. The minister would have to examine how to make at least 30% of National Housing Infrastructure FacilityThe funding pool inside NHFIC that provides loans, investments and grants for works like water, power and roads that make new housing possible. support reach regional, rural and remote Australia each financial year and report on that.

  3. Local councils and state-owned utility providers would be more clearly able to get housing infrastructure funding, helping regional projects that need services connected before homes can be built.

  4. Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated. would have to actively find suitable housing projects and help smaller applicants, including community housing providers and local councils, through the funding application process.

  5. The housing body's board and reports would need a stronger regional focus, including at least one member with regional housing expertise and yearly public reporting on where money was distributed.

Show source excerpts
  1. Adding an object of NHFIC to ‘provide finance, grants or investments that support the provision of housing-enabling infrastructure in regional, rural and remote Australia’.
    National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) explanatory memorandum
  2. Requiring the Minister to scrutinise what action needs to be taken so that the NHIF distributes at least 30% of its funds each year to projects in rural, regional and remote Australia. The Minister would also have to outline in reports how it has complied with this requirement.
    National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) explanatory memorandum
  3. Clarifying that local governments and utility providers can receive NHFIC funding. The 2021 Statutory Review found that there is no precedent of local governments directly accessing NHIF funding, even though they are eligible.
    National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) explanatory memorandum
  4. Requiring the NHFIC to be more proactive in identifying housing projects to support and accompany project proponents through the application process, notably for smaller actors such as Community Housing Providers (CHPs) and local governments.
    National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) explanatory memorandum
  5. Item 14 inserts an additional requirement for the Board to include in the annual reports how each kind of financial support provided was distributed, including setting out the portion of that amount distributed to each State and Territory, to each local governing body, and to each area of regional, rural and remote Australia.
    National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) explanatory memorandum

Context

Broader context for this bill

Australia already had a national housing finance body and major housing funding measures in train, but in 2023 rent increases, high interest rates and a broader housing shortage sharpened complaints that regional, rural and remote areas were being overlooked and that smaller councils and utility providers struggled to fund the water, power and road works needed before homes could be built. This bill responded by trying to steer more National Housing Infrastructure FacilityThe funding pool inside NHFIC that provides loans, investments and grants for works like water, power and roads that make new housing possible. support and board attention toward regional projects, but while the wider Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated. program moved ahead, the bill itself was later removed from the Notice PaperParliament's list of bills and business to be dealt with; if a bill is removed from it, the bill is no longer moving forward. in June 2024.

  1. 27 June 2023

    NHFICThe former federal housing finance body that this bill would amend; on this page it is the agency meant to steer more money toward regional housing infrastructure. says housing projects are waiting on federal support

    NHFICThe former federal housing finance body that this bill would amend; on this page it is the agency meant to steer more money toward regional housing infrastructure. said passing delayed housing legislation could help unlock about $9 billion in shovel-ready projects, showing housing supply was already being constrained before this bill was introduced.

    Australian Financial Review ↗
  2. 11 Sept 2023

    Regional housing pressures are raised in Parliament

    In the bill's second reading speech, Helen Haines said regional, rural and remote Australians were facing rent rises and high interest rates but were often ignored in national housing supply debates.

    Hansard ↗
  3. 11 Sept 2023

    House bill proposes to redirect housing infrastructure support to regional Australia

    The bill was introduced to push at least 30 per cent of National Housing Infrastructure FacilityThe funding pool inside NHFIC that provides loans, investments and grants for works like water, power and roads that make new housing possible. support toward regional, rural and remote areas and to make councils and state-owned utilities clearer eligible applicants.

    Parliamentary timeline ↗
  4. 14 Sept 2023

    Parliament passes Labor's Housing Australia Future FundA separate federal housing package mentioned in the page as the broader reform that kept moving even though this regional bill did not. legislation

    The broader federal housing package passed later that week, advancing Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated.'s national funding role even though this separate regional amendment bill did not proceed.

    Australian Financial Review ↗
  5. 25 Oct 2023

    Treasury consults on new Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated. investment directions

    Treasury opened consultation on amendments to the investment mandateThe minister's directions that tell Housing Australia or NHFIC what rules and priorities to follow when deciding where funding goes. for the renamed Housing AustraliaThe newer name for the national housing body that took over the broader role after the legislation was renamed and updated., showing the government was refining how the national housing agency would deliver its programs.

    Treasury ↗
  6. 04 June 2024

    Unlocking Regional Housing bill is removed from the Notice PaperParliament's list of bills and business to be dealt with; if a bill is removed from it, the bill is no longer moving forward.

    The bill was removed from the Notice PaperParliament's list of bills and business to be dealt with; if a bill is removed from it, the bill is no longer moving forward. under standing order 42A parliamentary rule used here to remove the bill from the Notice Paper and stop its active progress., ending its active parliamentary progress without the proposed regional targeting becoming law.

    Parliamentary timeline ↗

Legislative route

How did it move through Parliament?

House Senate
Introduced 11 Sept 2023

The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.

Introduced and read a first time

Second reading opened 11 Sept 2023

A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.

Second reading moved

Removed from the Notice PaperParliament's list of bills and business to be dealt with; if a bill is removed from it, the bill is no longer moving forward. in accordance with (SO 42) 04 June 2024

The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.

Key criticism

The main case against this bill

No strong public case against this bill is recorded; the main reservation is that redirecting or highlighting regional infrastructure funding may still fall short if councils, utilities and delivery systems lack capacity to turn finance into homes quickly. In the parliamentary publicly available sources, speakers supported the bill, and broader concerns were mostly indirect implementation risks rather than opposition to its regional housing goal.

No party represented in the debate opposed the bill, and criticism was limited and mostly practical.

Votes

Recorded votes

No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.

Parliamentary debate

Who spoke, and what they said

Start here — lead voices

Sponsor speech Supports

Helen Haines

Independent • MP 11 Sept 2023

Helen Haines supports the bill and says it is needed to unlock housing supply in regional Australia by directing more NHFICThe former federal housing finance body that this bill would amend; on this page it is the agency meant to steer more money toward regional housing infrastructure. funding to housing-enabling infrastructureBasic works and services that have to be in place before homes can be built, such as sewerage, water, electricity, roads and site cleanup. outside the cities.

Read in Hansard ↗
Lead non-major voice Supports

Andrew Gee

Independent • MP 11 Sept 2023

Andrew Gee strongly backs the bill and says it is a practical step toward directing more housing finance to regional, rural and remote Australia.

Read in Hansard ↗

All speeches by bloc

Minor parties and independents

2 speakers · 2 support

  1. Helen Haines ★ Helen Haines supports the bill and says it is needed to unlock housing supply in regional Australia by directing more NHFICThe former federal housing finance body that this bill would amend; on this page it is the agency meant to steer more money toward regional housing infrastructure. funding to housing-enabling infrastructureBasic works and services that have to be in place before homes can be built, such as sewerage, water, electricity, roads and site cleanup. outside the cities.
    “We need action now, and that's why I'm introducing this bill. The housing crisis in regional, rural and remote areas cannot wait any longer, and I urge the government to get behind me and back this bill.”

    Independent • MP • 11 Sept 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  2. Andrew Gee ★ Andrew Gee strongly backs the bill and says it is a practical step toward directing more housing finance to regional, rural and remote Australia.
    “The member for Indi's proposal to ensure that the National Housing Infrastructure Facility distributes at least 30 per cent of its funds to regional, rural and remote Australia, which is in line with the population of our regions, is a very important step forward.”

    Independent • MP • 11 Sept 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗

Record

Full record

Full chat