This bill is currently before Parliament.
Welfare & housing
Taxpayers would get quarterly reports showing how much Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. spends on each program, consultants and administration.
Andrew Bragg (Liberal) said Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules., the federal housing finance agency, needed greater public and parliamentary scrutiny. He said it oversees more than $80 billion in housing commitments. He also said the Housing Australia Future FundA fund supporting social and affordable housing., a fund supporting social and affordable housing, had delivered 1,432 homes against a five-year target of 40,000, including 670 existing homes that were purchased. He argued that some newly built homes cost taxpayers up to $1.2 million each, compared with an average building cost closer to $500,000.
Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. was established under 2018 legislation and later became responsible for the Housing Australia Future FundA fund supporting social and affordable housing. and other major housing schemes, but existing reporting left timely detail on spending, delivery and governance hard for Parliament and the public to see. After a 21 July 2026 Australian National Audit Office report disclosed Treasury warnings that HAFF targets were unlikely to be met and transparency was insufficient, Senator Andrew Bragg introduced this private bill on 19 August 2026 to require quarterly, detailed reports tabled within seven sitting days.
Andrew Bragg (Liberal), who introduced the bill, criticised Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules.'s lack of openness about spending and results. He said the Housing Australia Future FundA fund supporting social and affordable housing. had delivered too few new homes and had bought 670 existing properties. He argued that buying existing homes did not increase housing supply and could make it harder for first-home buyers to compete. The evidence pack contains no speech from another senator criticising the bill itself.
Senator Andrew Bragg introduced this bill. Supportive speeches so far have come from Liberal.
Did it become law?
Not yet
Final passage
No final vote yet
The bill has not yet completed passage through Parliament.
Days since introduction
48 days
Updated 06 Oct 2026.
Meaning
Taxpayers would get quarterly reports showing how much Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. spends on each program, consultants and administration.
Housing program users would see how many projects received financial help, broken down by program.
Help to BuyA government home-purchase assistance program. participants would have the number of agreements and each home's purchase price reported.
Home guarantee recipients would be counted by guarantee type and income group.
The public would receive summaries of Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. Board meetings and the number of consultants and outside suppliers used.
Parliament would receive each quarterly report within seven sitting days after the minister receives it.
Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. would prepare its reports without the minister directing how it performs that reporting work.
(1) As soon as practicable after the end of each quarter of a financial year, Housing Australia must prepare and give a report (a quarterly report) to the Minister in relation to its operations for that quarter. Information that must be included in quarterly reports (2) Without limiting subsection (1), a quarterly report must include the following information for the quarter to which the report relates: (a) the amount of money spent by Housing Australia on each of the following: (i) the performance of Housing Australia’s functions, taken as a whole and broken down by the amount spent on eaHousing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) introduced text
(b) the total number of projects that have received financial assistance from Housing Australia, broken down by each of the activities established under the Investment Mandate;Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) introduced text
(c) the number of Help to Buy arrangements that have been entered into by Housing Australia; (d) the estimated value of each residential property that is either a project, or part of a project, that has received financial assistance from Housing Australia; (e) the purchase price of each residential property that is the subject of a Help to Buy arrangement that has been entered into by Housing Australia;Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) introduced text
(f) the total number of guarantees issued by Housing Australia, broken down by the stream of guarantee and the income decile of the recipient; Note: The streams of guarantees issued by Housing Australia are set out in the Investment Mandate.Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) introduced text
(g) summarised minutes of any meetings of the Board that have taken place; (h) the total number of consultants and other external suppliers engaged by Housing Australia.Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) introduced text
Minister must table quarterly reports (4) The Minister must cause a copy of each quarterly report prepared under subsection (1) to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 7 sitting days of that House after the report is given to the Minister.Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) introduced text
6 Subsection 14(2) Repeal the subsection (not including the note), substitute: (2) The Minister must not give a direction under subsection 12(1) about the performance of: (a) the Help to Buy functions; or (b) the quarterly reporting function.Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) introduced text
Context
Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. was established under 2018 legislation and later became responsible for the Housing Australia Future FundA fund supporting social and affordable housing. and other major housing schemes, but existing reporting left timely detail on spending, delivery and governance hard for Parliament and the public to see. After a 21 July 2026 Australian National Audit Office report disclosed Treasury warnings that HAFF targets were unlikely to be met and transparency was insufficient, Senator Andrew Bragg introduced this private bill on 19 August 2026 to require quarterly, detailed reports tabled within seven sitting days.
Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. is established
The Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. Act 2018 created the agency to improve housing outcomes and gave it responsibilities later expanded through the Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules. Investment Mandate.
Treasury ↗Senate inquiry reports on HAFF legislation
The Senate Economics Legislation Committee handed down its final report on the Housing Australia Future FundA fund supporting social and affordable housing. Bill 2023 and related bills before the programme was fully established.
Treasury ↗Government responds to the Senate HAFF report
The Australian Government tabled its formal response to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee’s report on the Housing Australia Future FundA fund supporting social and affordable housing. legislation.
Treasury ↗ANAO report exposes HAFF target warnings and weak transparency
The report disclosed that Treasury had repeatedly warned that the initial target of 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes in five years was unlikely to be met and that transparency on delivery, costs and impact was insufficient.
Australian Financial Review ↗Senator Andrew Bragg introduces the bill
The private member’s bill began its Senate parliamentary journey with a first reading and second-reading debate focused on Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules.’s spending, delivery and governance.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Key criticism
Andrew Bragg (Liberal), who introduced the bill, criticised Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules.'s lack of openness about spending and results. He said the Housing Australia Future FundA fund supporting social and affordable housing. had delivered too few new homes and had bought 670 existing properties. He argued that buying existing homes did not increase housing supply and could make it harder for first-home buyers to compete. The evidence pack contains no speech from another senator criticising the bill itself.
These criticisms come from the bill's Liberal sponsor. The included debate ended after his speech was adjourned, so the pack does not provide a government or crossbench response.
Further sources
Votes
No recorded votes have been found yet for this bill.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Bragg urges the Senate to pass the bill, arguing that mandatory quarterly reporting is needed to expose Housing AustraliaThe agency covered by the proposed reporting rules.'s spending, program delivery and decision-making to parliamentary and public scrutiny.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“This bill delivers the transparency, accountability, and financial scrutiny that Housing Australia desperately lacks.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
