Conference papers

The 2008 NSW Community Housing Conference was held on the 10th and 11th September at the Citigate Central Sydney as part of a combined event - Change, challenge, innovation, inclusion encompassing the NSW Aboriginal Housing Summit on the 9th of September.

The conference, held every two years, was attended by over 300 delegates from across NSW and interstate.

The Federal Minister for Housing, The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP and the newly appointed state Minister for Housing, the Hon. David Borger both delivered keynote addresses. Other keynotes addresses were delivered by Prof. Julian Disney, Carole Croce and Rev. Harry Herbert.

Conference papers are available for some sessions - (see hyperlink: speakers name)

Conference Program:

OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP
Federal Minister for Housing, Minister for the Status of Women
QUESTION PANEL

Chair: Adj. Prof. Vivienne Milligan
Panel: The Hon. Tanya Plibersek , Prof. Bill Randolph, Carol Croce, Mary Perkins
Morning tea

11.00 – 11.55                        CONCURRENT SESSIONS BLOCK 1

National Rental Affordability Scheme
The Federal government will be rolling out a national rental affordable housing scheme in coming year. The scheme is expected to deliver 100000 affordable housing dwellings over the next 10 years. What will this mean for the sector?
Chair: Sheryl DeVries
Speakers:   Helen O’Loughlin,   Prof. Peter Phibbs

Developing Affordable Housing: Trends and Challenges
How have community housing providers responded to different challenges and opportunities? What is the current shape and scale of the community housing sector across Australia and how are providers responding to the new opportunities particularly at a national level? What might this tell us about where the sector is going?
Chair: Jacqui Moreno-Ovidi
Speakers:   Adj. Prof. Vivienne Milligan,      Lynden Esdaile

A National Housing Workforce Strategy (AHI)
We are now seeing new initiatives in affordable housing, homelessness, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing and a new National Affordable Housing Agreement.  In this session we examine the need for a national housing workforce strategy which brings together the great work already going on in sectors and organisations as well as highlighting some major gaps, particularly around homelessness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing. 
Chair: Rachel Louttit
Speaker:   Joan Ferguson

Building capacity to move into new business
New capacities will be required to move into new business such as development and delivery of affordable housing. What are the key areas requiring capacity building and how can we address them?
Chair:  Lyndall Katz
Speakers:   Adam Farrar,      Deborah Georgiou,        Mohamed Ibrahim

Aboriginal access to mainstream community housing
On all indicators Aboriginal people fair worse in housing need that mainstream Australians. How can we improve Aboriginal access to mainstream community housing?
Chair: Laurel Draffen
Speakers:    Mark Reader,    Michelle Craig, Ellen Adele

Partnership opportunities for Aboriginal and church based providers under new business structures
What partnership opportunities are out there for Aboriginal and church based housing providers? How can different business structures enhance these?
Chair: Rita Hampton
Speakers:    Derek Yule,      Christine Lee

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12.00 – 12.55                        CONCURRENT SESSIONS BLOCK 2

New business structures
With new opportunities for growth and increasing pressures on smaller organisations, providers are looking at new business structures. What options are out there and which ones are being pursued?
Chair: Adam West
Speakers:   Andrew Meehan,    Hal Bisset

Supporting mixed tenure communities
 Increasingly housing associations are taking on a greater role in public housing estates either through estate re developments or managing a portion of properties. What are the place-based approaches providers might take in these communities and how might they build social inclusion?
Chair: Lyndall Katz
Speakers:  Nazha Saad, Prof. Bill Randolph

A workforce strategy for the industry in NSW
The sector is poised for significant growth. At the same time the business of running community housing organisations is becoming increasingly complex.  Developing a workforce strategy for NSW mainstream community housing providers is now a priority for the sector. What might it look like?
Chair: Ellen Adele
Speakers:   Laurel Draffen,  Maura Boland

Moving into development – key considerations  
Community housing providers are already moving into development. As the sector grows the number of organisations undertaking development will increase. What do providers need to consider?
Chair: Jacqui Moreno-Ovidi
Speakers:   Prof. Peter Phibbs,    Richard Perkins

Sector strengthening in the Aboriginal housing sector
What strategies are in place to strengthen the Aboriginal housing sector? How can these best be rolled out?
Chair: Tom Slockee
Speakers:   Tony Flick,   Allen Hedger

Lunch
KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The Hon. Matt Brown MP
NSW Minister for Housing
PLENARY ADDRESS

Reverend Harry Herbert
Uniting Care NSW
The Community Sector – the benefit of hindsight
PLENARY PANEL DISCUSSION SESSION

Chair:  Tom Slockee
Panel: Derek Yule, Adam Farrar , Karine Shellshear, Russell Taylor

CONCURRENT KEY GROUP MEETINGS

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Thursday 11TH SEPTEMBER

PLENARY ADDRESS

Carol Croce
Executive Director Community Housing Federation of Australia
PLENARY ADDRESS

Prof. Julian Disney
Independent Chair National Summit Group on Housing Affordability
DISCUSSION PANEL

Chair: John Mant
Panel: Mike Allen, Prof. Julian Disney, Carol Croce

11.00 – 11.55                                        CONCURRENT SESSIONS BLOCK 3

Homelessness, support & exit housing  
Addressing homelessness is a priority for the Federal government. What are the key issues? What are the pathways out of homelessness?
Chair: Derek Yule
Speakers:  Digby Hughes,     Sr. Myree Harris

Working with the aged care sector – opportunities and challenges
As community housing takes on a larger role in housing people in need it will need to link with a wider range of community partners. How might it link with aged care? What role might it play in working with that sector?
Chair: Lyndall Katz
Speakers:  Helen Wood,      Merilyn Alt

Supporting smaller providers
Smaller community housing providers face particular viability challenges. What does the future hold for smaller providers? What role can they play into the future?
Chair: Melinda Hewitt
Speakers:    Robbie Buchanan,     Geoff Mann

 Finance for affordable housing
Increasingly community housing providers will be sourcing private finance for affordable housing projects. What’s out there, what’s required?
Chair: Andrew Meehan
Speakers:   Ross Pritchard, Neil Youren

The role of governance in driving innovation  
Community housing boards guide the strategic directions of their organisations. How might governance drive innovation?
Chair: Laurel Draffen
Speakers:   Eleri Morgan-Thomas,      Ken Horsham

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12.00 – 12.55                                        CONCURRENT SESSIONS BLOCK 4

Community housing and social inclusion  PANEL
As a placed-based model community housing is well suited to helping address social exclusion. What is the role of housing associations, Aboriginal housing providers, cooperatives and church based housing in building social inclusion?
Chair: Tom Slockee
Speakers:  Derek Yule, Russell Taylor, Adam Farrar, Karine Shellshear

Responding to high needs clients
High needs clients make up the bulk of people housed or seeking housing in community housing. What are the issues and how can the sector best respond to them?
Chair: Jacqui Moreno-Ovidi
Speakers:   Lynden Esdaile                 Sr Myree Harris

Redeveloping housing estates though private public partnerships
The state government is looking at the role private public partnerships can play in redeveloping public housing estates. What can such partnerships bring to the redevelopment of public housing estates?
Chair: Adam West
Speakers:   Bernie Coates,   Andrew Brooks

New growth initiatives
A number of initiatives were announced in 2006 to facilitate growth in affordable housing provision in NSW. What are some of the projects to come from this and what have we learned from the tender process? What changes have we seen in the sector as a result?
Chair: Ellen Adele
Speakers:   Debbie Kearns,  Leonie King,   Bernie Murphy

Church, support, partnerships
The church is a major provider of support and housing. Increasingly community housing tenants have support needs that require not only housing but a partnership with a support partner. How are church providers meeting this need?
Chair: Rita Hampton
Speakers:  Laura Knowles,   Kerry Weston

13.40 – 15.15         CONCURRENT PANEL SESSIONS

Shining the light on homelessness – the changing environment of homeless service delivery
Homelessness is back on the political agenda. What does this mean for the SAAP sector? What are the major challenges and how might they be addressed?
Chair:  Sheryl DeVries
Speakers:   Michael Coffey, Digby Hughes,  John MacMillan

Maintaining a tenant focus
Community housing has been built on the principle of tenant participation. How might we maintain and enhance a tenant focus? (Facilitated Panel Discussion Session)
Chair: Adam West
Speakers:   Alison King,   Nathan Moran,   John Robertson,   Susan Lucock,   Greta Angel

Future directions and opportunities for cooperatives
The development of a strategy for coops is earmarked as an action in the 5 year strategy for community housing launched earlier this year. What role might coops play in the emerging policy environment?
Chair: Melinda Hewitt
Speakers:  John Mant,   Lauvena Wong,   Karine Shellshear,      Dr. Louise Crabtree

Local opportunities for providing affordable housing
Many councils are looking at ways of facilitating greater provision of affordable housing in their local area. What are the planning tools council can use and what initiatives are being pursued by councils? What other opportunities are emerging at a local level to provide affordable housing?
Chair: Rachel Louttit
Speakers:    Will Roden,   Brian Murnane,   Gary Moore

Improving access to community housing
Ensuring potential applicants can access community housing is fundamental. What work is currently underway in this area and what might it mean for the way providers do business?
Chair: Andrew Meehan
Speakers:   Mark Nutting,     Rhonda Phillips,     Nazha Saad

New regulation for community housing
Recent amendments to the NSW Housing Act 2001 to recognise, register and regulate community housing, provides the statutory framework for a new regulatory system in NSW. At the same time, work has been ongoing on a national regulatory code. What will these changes mean for community housing?
Chair: Laurel Draffen
Speakers:    Roxane Shaw,  Maura Boland,       Anthony Hardy
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Afternoon tea

PERFORMANCE
Sydney Street Choir

Closing remarks

Conference close