What's New - Archived

Commonwealth Government supports Equal Pay Case (10 November 2011)
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced today the Federal government’s commitment to fund its share of the outcome of Equal Pay Case before Fair Work Australia.   The Government will provide over $2 billion to deliver a pay rise to employees in the social and community services sector.  With Fair Work Australia’s approval, the increases would be phased-in over six years, starting on 1 December next year
Read the Minister’s announcement here.

CHD wins the NSW Public Sector Award (7 November 2011)
The Premier's Public Sector Awards formally recognise and reward outstanding performance and achievement by the New South Wales public sector. Community Housing Division of Housing NSW won a prestigious award for devolving decision making for their Planning for the Future strategy.  The strategy brings a number of initiatives to devolve social housing decision to community housing providers. Read more here

A definition of charity – consultation paper released (28 October 2011)
The Australia Government has released a Consultation Paper on the definition of charity as part of a consultation process to provide interested parties with an opportunity to comment. The Government announced in the 2011-12 Budget that it would introduce a statutory definition of charity, applicable across all Commonwealth laws from 1 July 2013. Read more

Community housing represented on a newly established Social Housing Expert Panel (27 Sept 2011)
The Hon Senator Mark Arbib, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness,announced today the establishment of expert panel to advise the Australian Government on improving the current social housing system and how best to provide housing assistance for Australians in need. 
Carol Croce, Executive Director of Community Housing Federation Australia and Nazha Saad, CEO of St George Community Housing, are two representatives from the community housing sector appointed by Minister Arbib.  For more information about this strategic committee and full list of representatives, read the Media release.

Housing a priority for Australian Government Tax Forum 4 and 5 October 2011(26 Sept 2011)
A large number of community organisations represented at the at the upcoming Tax Forum in Canberra have made tax reform to improve housing affordability one of their top priorities. Adam Farrar, the Executive Director of the Federation and Community Housing Federation Australia (CHFA)  Board member, is representing the community housing sector at the Tax Forum .
The Tax Forum has been organised by the Australian Government to discuss future reform of the Australian tax system and recommendations from the Henry Report. More information on the Tax Forum can be found on the Tax Watch website. 
CHFA has provided the statement of priorities for the 2011 National Tax Forum to be held on 4-5 October.
The statement of priorities identifies priorities relating to the tax system as it applies to housing affordability. 
To read the statement please click here

Community housing IT implementation fund(26 Sept 2011)
Housing NSW has made funds totalling $1m + GST available to the housing association sector to assist the implementation of appropriate IT systems. The funds will be administered by Federation and are now available to the sector.
The aims of these funds are to:

• support housing associations that need access to integrated IT systems to support their current operations and expand their services to tenants. 
• ensure that all housing associations have access to baseline information about IT procurement and the main integrated housing IT products in the marketplace.
• ensure that support is available for smaller housing associations where they need some enhancements to their current systems.

Further information and the application pack may be found here

Australians for Affordable Housing Launch Today (19 Sept 2011)
Australians for Affordable Housing (AAH) was launched today at Parliament House to challenge Australian governments to address housing affordability – the single biggest cost of living facing Australians.
Their report Australia's broken housing system, also released today, reveals that housing costs are both the biggest item in household budgets and the fastest growing cost - having increased 55 per cent in the last six years.
AAH is a coalition of over 60 national housing, welfare and community sector organisations including the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the Community Housing Federation of Australia (CHFA), National Shelter and community housing providers.
For more information on the campaign, go to www.housingstressed.org.au

NSWFHA involved in NSW Planning Review(13 Sept 2011)
The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Brad Hazzard, in July announced a major review of planning in NSW to be jointly chaired by the former Environment Minister and current Land and Environment Court Commissioner, Tim Moore, and the former Labor Minister Ron Dyer.
The Review will take approximately 18 months and is currently in its first stage, “listening and scoping”.  The Federation, along with NCOSS, Shelter NSW and the Benevolent Society, met with the Chairs in August. Notes from this meeting can be viewed here
The consultation schedule, and more information on the review, can be found here: http://www.planningreview.nsw.gov.au/

Housing provider chairs AHSEPP review taskforce(13 Sept 2011)
In July, the composition of the Affordable Housing Taskforce was announced, the purpose of which is to guide the development of a new Affordable Housing SEPP. Andrew McAnulty, the CEO of MA Housing, was announced as the Taskforce Chair. The Federation is a member of the Technical Reference Group, which advises the Taskforce. The Reference Group held its first meeting in August.

Nominations for NSW Federation of Housing Associations Board of Directors (9 Sept2011)
Board elections will be held by postal ballot and in person at the AGM on 4th November. Nominations forms have been sent to the registered head office of all Full member organisations. The Federation urges any interested workers, directors or tenants from Full member providers to nominate. A candidate must be nominated by two Full member organisations. Closing date for nominations is Monday 10th October. Postal ballots will be sent on 14th October.

Almost no new steps in Budget for community housing (8 Sept2011)
Tuesday’s budget provided no significant new initiatives for either community housing or public housing except for the inclusion of the pension increase in rent calculations.
Almost all spending reported in the budget is either the wind down of existing initiatives or ‘business as usual’.
For further information please click here

CHD Complaints Management Project (30 August 2011)
The Community Housing Division is currently investing significant effort in documenting and communicating a Community Housing Complaints, Issues and Appeals Framework.
The project is being undertaken in two stages: Stage 1 involves the documentation of the Framework and facts sheets and has a focus on complainants information needs; Stage 2 involves an examination of the Community Housing Division’s internal community housing complaints management processes and considers how CHD might better involve community housing providers in terms of complaints Housing NSW or the Minister might receive.
Further information about this project may be found here.

Hunter Business Chamber 2011 Business Awards (30 August 2011)
Compass was recently awarded the Environmental Sustainability Award for the second year in the Hunter Business Chamber 2011 Business Awards.
The award recognises the continued commitment that Compass has towards Environmental Sustainability and the Environmental Sustainability initiatives that Compass undertakes. More specifically the Energy Efficiency Training Pilot Project and Envirobuild Project.

New procedure for scheduling compliance assessments (10 August 2011)
The NSW Registrar of Community Housing has implemented a new procedure for scheduling Compliance Assessments.   The Compliance Assessment Scheduling System (CASS)  is intended to identify each registered community housing provider’s exposure to potential non-compliance with the Regulatory Code, and to set the frequency, scope and level of engagement of compliance assessments in response. This is will mean assessments happen when they are most needed.  The guidelines are available here.

National Homeless Persons Week 1 -7 August 2011 (1 August 2011)
The first week of August is National Homeless Persons week. It is a time to reflect on the issue of homelessness and seek leadership throughout Australia and NSW to invest in the resources to prevent people from becoming homeless.  Across New South Wales, at least 27,000 people are homeless and do not have a place to call home.
Theme title for National Homeless Persons' Week 2011 is “MY Address: diversity in homelessness. Homelessness engages diverse people, from diverse addresses for diverse reasons”.

Changes to tax on charities commercial activities (19 July 2011)
The Federal Budget announced changes to how commercial activities undertaken by charities, but unrelated to the charitable purpose, should be treated for tax purposes.  This follows High Court decisions that made it clear that charities can conduct such activities without threat to their charitable status.  The new arrangements mean that surpluses generated by such activities must be expended on the organisation’s charitable purpose within an appropriate time frame or it will be subject to tax.  A discussion paper was released by Treasury to seek views on how this should be implemented.  There is a significant risk that a narrow interpretation of “unrelated commercial activities” or of the time it must be expended and the reporting on this could have huge impacts on community housing providers.  The Federation made the following submission to Treasury and continues to pursue the issue in conjunction with the Community Housing Federation of Australia: See submission

NAIDOC Week 2011 – 3rd - 10th July (5 July 2011)
The first week of July is NAIDOC week. NAIDOC is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and an opportunity to recognise the contributions of Indigenous Australians in various fields. The Federation encourages Housing Associations to celebrate NAIDOC week by participating in local events .
Details can be found on the NAIDOC website:  http://www.naidoc.org.au/
NAIDOC stands for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.
HAPPY NAIDOC WEEK!

Housing Ministers’ Conference Communiqué (17 June 2011)
Housing Ministers met today to progress national responses to increasing supply for affordable housing for low income earners across Australia and address ongoing homelessness efforts. 
The Ministers agreed to a blueprint for a national regulatory system for housing providers. This agreement is a milestone in the introduction of a nationally consistent regulatory framework, which aims to promote the growth of the not-for-profit housing sector across Australia.  The Minsters also reported that the $5.64 billion Social Housing Initiative under the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan is on track to deliver around 19,600 new homes by the end of June 2012.  For more information please click here

NRAS amendment regulations 2011 (16 June)
The Regulations amend the National Rental Affordability Scheme Regulations 2008 (the Principal Regulations) and  to clarify the operation of two annual indexation arrangements.
The Regulations are available at: here
The Explanatory Statement is available at:here

St Vincent de Paul Society CEOs Sleepout  (16 June)
The CEO Sleepout takes place on Thursday 16 June in capital cities across Australia. The event challenges business and community leaders to experience homelessness first-hand for one night, raise much needed money for St Vincent de Paul homeless services, and with fresh insight go on to effect change in social opinions. 
Nazha Saad, CEO of St George Community Housing, will join over 450 business leaders tonight to support this initiative to raise awareness of the plight of those who are homeless and make the wider community aware of the need for more affordable housing. To support Nazha, please click here

PPPs and Nation Building move to Finance – and shared responsibility for AHO (June 6)
The changed responsibilities for housing between Ministers and Departments has been further clarified.  On June 2 a Public Sector Employment & Management Amendment was issued transferring  “…the groups of staff in Housing NSW, Department of Human Services who, in the opinion of the Director-General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, are principally involved in public-private partnerships or in projects funded by the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan…” to the Department of Finance & Services.  And from July 1 all staff “principally involved in asset management”  will also be transferred.  At the same time, an amendment to the Administration of Acts gives shares responsibility for the Aboriginal Housing Act between the Minister for Family & Community Services, Prue Goward, and the Minister for Finance & Services, Greg Pearce.

Good News for NRAS Investors!  (2 June 2011)
Today a bill was introduced into the House of Representatives amending the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 that will provide a legislative solution reflecting the Federal Government’s intention that non-entity joint venture (NEJV) investors receive their full entitlement to the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) incentive.  For a full press release from Community Housing Federation of Australia (CHFA) please click here.
For the text of the Bill and the Explanatory Memorandum click here
To access an important ATO advice for NRAS investors go here
Minister Shorten reassured NRAS investors that tax benefits will be retrospective and that the ATO will accept tax returns ‘as logged’ until such time as the legislation is enacted. His letter can be accessed here.

HAC produces Q&A on new tenancy legislation (1 June)
The Housing Appeal Committee (HAC) has issued a newsletter explaining the Committee’s view to appropriate practice for social housing providers under the new tenancy legislation.  The Chair of HAC, Lynden Esdaile explained the approach to community housing providers at a Middle Managers Network training session last week.

National regulation moves closer (27 May)
A national expert workshop was held in Sydney on behalf of the Housing Ministers Advisory Council (HMAC) to seek advice on the outline of a National Regulatory System for community housing.  The high level form of both the areas of regulation and its operation are due to go to Housing Ministers for sign-off this month.  There will be a lot more work needed to draft the regulations, consult and produce a regulatory impact statement, but the likely outcome is a single national register, common legislation in every jurisdiction and recognition across jurisdictions.

Today is the National Sorry Day 2011(26 May 2011)
“SORRY! Still living on the borrowed time!”

The National Sorry Day is held each year on 26 May to honour the Stolen Generations and the consequences of the removal of generations of Aboriginal children as a result of the Forced Removal Policies of the past.
The Federation acknowledges the past injustices and crucial role of housing in achieving equality and distance we as a nation still need to cover to close the gap.
Read the media release by the National Sorry Day Committee here.
http://www.nsdc.org.au/

Affordable Housing SEPP Amendments Announced Today (20 May 2011)
The NSW Government announced today amendments to the Affordable Rental Housing SEPP (AHSEPP).
The Government will develop a new planning instrument to replace the AHSEPP. The new planning instrument will be called the Affordable Housing Choice SEPP.
It also announced that it will establish an Affordable Housing Taskforce to look at the issues raised by the AHSEPP Review process that began in December 2010. The Taskforce composition has not yet been finalised but there is a commitment to include Community Housing Providers.
The Department of Planning has released fact sheets about the amendments. You can read them here.
Contact Poppy with any questions on: 02 9281 7144  ext 213 or via email PoppyD@communityhousing.org.au  

Equal Pay Case – Fair Work Australia (20 May 2011)
In its decision handed down this week, Fair Work Australia has found that there is a need to increase wages of workers employed in social and community services. 
Fair Work Australia has found that employees in social and community services are not receiving equal pay and that the gap in pay between the SACS industry employees and state and local government employees is due to gender. Read more here.

Our Cities, Our Future - National Urban Policy for the future of Australia’s cities (20 May 2011)
The Australian Government yesterday released a long-term blueprint for the nation's 18 major cities.
The Federation was one of the 160 groups to make a written submission to the discussion paper during the policy development process. You can find our submission, and the Our Cities, Our Future policy,at: www.majorcities.gov.au
The Federation’s focus was on the Commonwealth’s public policy settings which impact on housing. In our submission we called for, in part:

• A strengthening of the current National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA);
• An increase in the National Rental Affordability Scheme(NRAS), with improvements;
• Housing stock that is diverse and adaptable to family changes, and built to universal and environmentally sustainable design principles to prepare for an aging population and to mitigate against rising energy and water costs.

The Federation welcomes the development of a national urban policy since Australia is the most urbanised country. The Our Cities, Our Future policy sets a promising framework for affordable living. The federation will write a more detailed response as further measures are announced by the Department. If you have any questions, contact Poppy (PoppyD@communityhousing.org.au).

Housing under the new Government (4 April 2011)
The Ministries in the new NSW Government were announced on Sunday.  One major change is that there will no longer be a Minister for Housing.  Two Ministers have joint responsibility for the two main pieces of legislation in the area – particularly the Housing Act.  They are the Minister for family & Community Services, Prue Goward, and the Minister for Finance & Services, Greg Pearce.  Greg Pearce had been Shadow Minister for Housing Strategy before last week’s election. The staff of the Asset Division in Housing NSW will now be transferred to the Dept of Finance & Services.  We are awaiting further clarification  about the implications of the latter change and the joint responsibility for the legislation.

Federation response to Our Cities Discussion Paper (14 March 2011)
In November 2010, the Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport released the Our Cities discussion paper, as a precursor to the National Urban Policy which is due to be launched approximately mid 2011. The Federation agrees with the approach and on the topics of discourse of the Our Cities discussion paper however the paper lacks the proposed means to finance and deliver affordable housing, particularly at the bottom end of income distribution. Our submission addresses some directions of the discussion paper as well as current Commonwealth policies. Contact Poppy with any questions (PoppyD@communityhousing.org.au).See publication.

Housing policies comparison (11 March 2011)
To help its members to prepare for the upcoming NSW State election, the Federation has compiled a comparison of housing and planning policies between the major parties. The information used in this comparison has been taken directly from the websites of each of the respective parties.

The comparison table may be viewed here.

NSW State Election 2011 - Response to the Federation's election priorities (11 March 2011)
With the NSW Election fast approaching in two weeks time, the Federation has written to all political parties outlining our election priorities. In these letters the Federation called upon all parties to commit to implementing six housing strategies. Full election information.

For details on the 2011 Election and to access our Election Factsheets please see ebulletin click here ; or: Factsheet 1, Factsheet 2, Factsheet 3, Factsheet 4
To join our letter writing campaign please click here

Strategic workforce planning workshop (11 March 2011)
As part of our supporting growth program, the Federation is providing a strategic workforce planning workshop on Thursday 7th April. The workshop will be delivered by Interdependent. (For more info - see events page).

Governance, risk and compliance workshop (11 March 2011)
This high level workshop will provide practical, sector based guidance on how to implement an effective governance, risk and compliance system in a housing association. The workshop will be delivered by CompliSpace in conjunction with The Walton Group. The event will be opened by the Registrar of Community Housing. (For more info - see events page)

Federation response to Redfern Waterloo Draft Built Environment Plan (BEP2) (9 March 2011)
The Federation made a submission to the Redfern Waterloo Authority in response to the BEP2 discussion paper. The BEP2 would result in no net loss of social housing across the City of Sydney, since the RWA commits to re-housing the 700 public housing households on sites within the LGA, however the concern is that no details of this process. The Federation supports the objective to increase the number of affordable dwellings in the city of Sydney LGA, however of significant concern is the relocation process for the existing public housing tenants. Whether or not social housing is replaced within the LGA, it is very likely that many of the incumbent tenants will have been displaced in the interim. Read our submission to find out more, and contact Poppy with any questions (PoppyD@communityhousing.org.au).See publication.

Title transfer cleared at last! (4 March 2011)
The Government in Executive Council has just signed the order to vest the first lot of properties to community housing providers. 3,063 units will be vested in this round. This is a little less than half the total number to be vested under Nation Building and the Asset Ownership initiative. The formal date of transfer has been set for the 18th April as soon as the order is published in the NSW Government Gazette.

Federation response to Affordable Rental Housing SEPP (AHSEPP) (1 March 2011)
After substantial feedback from community housing providers who have used the AHSEPP, the Federation made a submission to the Department of Planning’s AHSEPP review. The Federation supports the aims of the AHSEPP but believes that it could be improved in a number of ways. Our submission contains the strengths of the SEPP, as perceived by the community housing sector; proposed changes supported by the sector; areas of concern for the sector; and key recommendations for the review process. Contact Poppy with any questions about the AHSEPP (PoppyD@communityhousing.org.au).See publication.

NSWFHA Election Commitments (16 Feb 2011)
The NSW State Election on 26 March will set the direction for the State over the next four years.  The Federation is calling on all parties and candidates to commit to implementing a number of directions that will be essential to address the lack of affordable housing in NSW and to meet the housing needs of low and moderate income households.
The Federation has written to all political parties outlining our position and received official responses from the Coalition, NSW labor, the NSW Greens and Independent Clover Moore. The anlaysis of the responses received to date can be viewed here.

Government commits to full NRAS target (Feb 2011)
The Government has announced that it will remove the proposed cap on NRAS, as part of the agreement with the Greens to support the flood levy (see below). It is now committed to fund at least the 50,000 NRAS incentives in the current forward estimates.
The Federation wishes to thank everyone who supported our campaign and acknowledges the work of our national peak body, the Community Housing Federation of Australia and the National Affordable Housing Summit Group, whose lobbying, with our members’ support, has achieved this great result

National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) Funding Cuts (Jan 11)
The Commonwealth Government is proposing to cut $264 million from the money projected to be allocated to the National Rental Affordability Scheme, and to cap the number of incentives it will give under the scheme at 35,000 (instead of the 50,000, as announced when the Scheme was established), to help fund the government’s response to the extraordinary floods in Queensland.
The NSW Federation expressed our strong disappointment with this measure, and joined forces with Shelter NSW, the National Affordable Housing Summit and the Community Housing Federation of Australia to oppose the cuts.  More information in ebulletin

Housing Management Keys (Jan 2011)
The Federation has created a new resource series called the Housing Management Keys which are information sheets for the community housing sector.  Staff can download these forms and use them as a resource guide.  Providers are encouraged to access these information sheets online from our NSWFHA Resource Bank under the heading Housing Management Keys. These keys are best utilised as a resource document or as a  training information tool..

Affordable Housing - Act Now! (3 Dec 2010)
The Federation has joined with Shelter and NCOSS to call for both parties to commit to properly funding NRAS in the lead up to next year's State election.  After the one-off Nation Building, NRAS is the only significant program to support future investment in new supply of affordable housing.  The Federation board will also be considering the Federation's full policy proposals to both parties at its coming meeting.
For a background brief on this issue, please download the special factsheet.
Please act now by writing to both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition by Wednesday 15 December 2010. Suggested text in ebulletin

New Residential Tenancies Act begins Act begins 31st January 2011 - Governor's Proclamation
The Governor of NSW, Marie Bashir, has proclaimed that the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 will commence on January 31st 2011. You can see the Governor’s proclamation here.
The final Residential Tenancies Regulation 2010 has also been released.
Click on these links for the Act and  the Regulations
Fair Trading NSW has developed a number of resources outlining the changes in the laws, including an video, audio, and audio in different languages which are available on the Fair Trading Website.
For another interesting discussion see the “Brown Couch Blog” on the Tenants NSW website

The Federation is holding a seminar on the new tenancy legislation on 27th Jan 2011. The seminar is now fully booked. We will be offering a second session in mid Feb at a date and location to be confirmed.

Please complete the registration form to express an interest in attending the second session

Free energy saving for tenants - the Home Power Savings Program (/Dec 2010)
With energy prices set to increase by 35% in the next three years, the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) is running the Home Power Savings Program designed to reduce energy usage in vulnerable households across NSW. Through the Home Power Savings Program, approximately 220,000 eligible households will save up to 20% a year on their power use. The program is one way in which community housing providers can prevent financial hardship and encourage consistent rent and bill payment for tenants as energy prices rise.
Every eligible household that joins the program will get a FREE:

• Home power assessment by an energy expert to identify ways to save power in the home;
• Power Savings Kit to help kick start savings (Housing providers can select their preferred kit. Read about the two kit options here);
• Personal Power Savings Action Plan.

Participation in the program is voluntary, and tenants will need to call 1300 662 416 to book an assessment themselves. Housing providers can engage in the program by promoting it to tenants. To order free promotional material from DECCW, fill in this form.

Federation response to Commonwealth regulations & growth discussion paper (21 June 2010)
The Federation has submitted its response to the  Commonwealth discussion paper entitled Regulation and Growth of the Not-For-Profit Housing Sector. (Federation response)  (Commonwealth discussion paper) The Federation has also participated in a number of consultations with the Commonwealth on the paper.  Our position supports a national system to improve financing opportunities, avoid entry barriers, and ensure tenants have similar protections across the country. We supported a model that registers and reports nationally, but in which regulation is administered at a state level against national model legislation and standards determined by COAG. We urge that the basis for such new model standards and legislation be the current NSW system.

National Rental Affordability Scheme - Round four call for applications will open on June 14 (28 May 2010)
Minister for Housing, Tanya Plibersek today announced that round four applications for the National Rental Affordability Scheme round will open on June 14. This round will encourage applications from investors wanting to build at least 20 new affordable rental homes for low and moderate income households, with priority given to applications to build 100 or more homes. Applications for round four will be assessed as they are received. The round will close on December 14, 2010. www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/housing/progserv/affordability/nras/Pages/default.aspx

Housing Pathways goes live to provide better acess for applicants (27 April 2010)
The new system for applying for social housing commenced on 27 April. Housing Pathways is underpinned by the ‘No Wrong Door’ protocol that requires collaboration between public and community housing providers in order to provide integrated responses for presenting clients.  The protocol will enable clients to receive a consistent standard of housing advice and streamlined access to social housing and other housing assistance.To find out more go to Housing Pathways website.  

Outcome of Social Housing Stimulus tender announced (30 April 2010)
Eleven preferred providers have been announced to take on ownership of 4,550 properties being developed under the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan (NBESP) social housing package.  The successful providers were selected through a tender that opened in December 2009 and will be required to leverage additional housing from the asset they will receive. The preferred providers are:
   

Argyle Community Housing	139
Blue CHP	285
Bridge Housing	161
Central Tablelands Community Housing	184
Compass Housing Services	787
Homes North Community Housing	252
Mission Australia Housing	1,046
North Shore Community Housing	222
On Track Community Programs	99
St George Community Housing	1,103
The Housing Trust	273

(For the full list of ‘packages’).  12 preferred providers have also already been allocated 860 stage 1 NBESP properties.  Final confirmation of transfer of ownership to the preferred providers will require approval by the Treasurer.  The date of the final announcement is not yet known.

Housing Amendment (Community Housing Providers) Bill 2009 (NSW) (11 March 2010)
The Housing Amendment (Community Housing Providers) Bill 2009 was passed by both house of Parliament on the 9th March 2010, and received royal assent on 18th March. The Bill. The object to this bill is to amend the Housing Act 2001:
(a) to enable the Governor to vest land owned by the New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation (the Corporation) in a registered community housing provider that is also a company registered under the Corporations Act 2001 of the Commonwealth, and
(b) to provide for the registration by the Corporation of an interest in certain land such as land that has been so vested or the purchase of which was funded by the Corporation, and
(c) to prevent certain dealings with land in which the Corporation has an interest without the consent of the Corporation, and—
(d) to provide other measures for the protection of the Corporation's interest in certain land.
You may find the full transcript of the debate here: (see link)

Keep Them Safe - Amendments to the Child Protection Amendment (Wood Enquiry Recommendations) Act 2009(5 Feb 2010)
Providers are encouraged to access online resources about the changes and how they impact on Community Housing Providers at the Keep Them Safe webpage: www.keepthemsafe.nsw.gov.au
You can also subscribe  to the  NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet Keep them Safe newsletter.
Federation bulletins on Keep Them Safe are posted online in the Publications page

Commonwealth discussion paper on regulation & growth released (22 April 2010)
The Commonwealth has released a discussion paper entitled Regulation and Growth of the Not-For-Profit Housing Sector.  (discussion paper) It argues the case for a national regulatory system for not-for-profit housing providers and that changes to institutional frameworks, improved access to capital funding, and a significant shift in the scale and sophistication of operations will be necessary for the growth and success of the sector. This discussion paper and the processes that follow will play a significant role in informing the Commonwealth’s responses to shaping the conditions under which our sector can be supported. Consultations begin in Sydney on 3 May (followed by consultations around the country).  See E-Flyer. Submissions responding to the discussion paper are invited. The closing date for submissions is 4 June 2010.

Housing pathways training (formerly known as Common Access System Training (CAS) (11 march 2010)
The Go Live date for the implementation of Housing pathways is the end of April.  Housing Pathways is underpinned by the ‘No Wrong Door’ protocol that requires collaboration between public and community housing providers in order to provide integrated responses for presenting clients.  The protocol will enable clients to receive a consistent standard of housing advice and streamlined access to social housing and other housing assistance. 

Housing Pathways IT System training
Registrations are now open for the half day IT System training. This training covers the use of the online application form and e-query including how to input, find and filter applicant data on the e-system. Please remember to bring your Housing Pathways citrix password to the training session.  More info

Housing Pathways TRIM training update
TRIM training is currently being provided by Housing NSW to you through e-learning (on line) and face to face. The use of TRIM is a key tool in implementing and supporting records management for Housing Pathways, For training schedule and registration go to our events page.

Housing Pathways Operational Training
HNSW has contracted NSWFHA to develop training for community housing providers to support the implementation of Housing Pathways.

The current training schedule is due for completion on March 31st.  More info

Sector Advocacy
For any policy issues questions or comments about the impact and implementation of Housing Pathways please contact Rachel Louttit on rachel@communityhousing.org.au

Tenders for title transfer called (4 Dec 2009)
The tenders to allocate ownership of up to 5,500 Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan properties and 500 of the portfolio currently managed by community housing provieders have been announced. The communique outlining the process was released on the 3rd of December. Tender documents can be accessed on https://tenders.nsw.gov.au/housing. 857 of the properties in stage one of the Stimulus Plan will be directly allocated. There will be an open tender for stage two, and a select tender for the 500 properties currently managed by housing associations. Tenders close in February 2010.

CTTT - Social Housing Division Review 2009 (22 Dec 2009)
Provide feedback on the first year of the Social Housing Division. The Social Housing Division of the CTTT commenced operations on 1 October 2008. The CTTT is undertaking a review of the Division’s first year of operation. They are seeking widespread feedback. It is important that as many housing associations as possible provide feedback on the Division. Please complete the questionnaire and return to lisette.rudge@cttt.nsw.gov.au by 22 January, 2010

The Registrar of Community Housing - Strategic and Governance Framework (1 Dec 2009)
The Registrar has published its Strategic and Governance Framewok, which guides its administration of the community housing regulatory system. This document outlines the Registrar’s purpose, values, regulatory principles, strategic priorities and governance arrangements.The Framework can be viewed on the Registrar's website: www.rch.nsw.gov.au

Draft Tenancy Law reforms released for consultation (5 Nov 2009)
The Minister for Fair Trading has released the draft Residential Tenancies Bill (2009) for public consultation. It is not yet law and is anticipated to be introduced to Parliament early 2010. The Federation will be establishing a focus group to examine the draft bill in detail prior to making a submission. Housing providers are able to  give feedback and make their own submissions to the Office of Fair Trading. The draft bill is available on the OFT website www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au. Or download pdf of draft bill here.

ONLINE LEARNING PILOT LAUNCHED WEDNESDAY 6th October 8, 2009 (8 Oct 09)
Community housing managers from 14 locations across NSW participated in the first online session for the accredited unit “Reflect and Improve on own Professional Practice”.  Students will meet online 4 times over the next two months to share experience as peers on management issues. Course content is available on the NSWFHA Moodle Learning Management System which students are able to work through at their own pace.
NSWFHA has received funding from the Australian Flexible Learning Framework to implement a national project to integrate  e -learning into community housing. Online units will be available for other states to use from  2010.  Click here for more information  - link to elearning page NATIONAL RENTAL AFFORDABILITY SCHEME (NRAS) - CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: ROUND 3 (28 Aug 09)
On 12 August 2009, the Minister for Housing, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, announced that Round Three of the National Rental Affordability Scheme would open from 1 September 2009. Applications can be received from 1 September and the Call will remain open for up to 12 months. The extended opening period acknowledges the feedback which has been received from housing providers and developers about the way in which project planning and the securing of finance needs to be undertaken, particularly in the current economic environment. Round Three
The Third Round will be initially conducted with two separate components: 1. Applications which link to proposals under the Social Housing Initiative, a component of the Nation Building and Economic Stimulus Plan. 2. Applications which seek to have the private sector develop state-owned land that has been released for residential development – the NRAS component can be all or part of the development The targeted approach aims to simplify and encourage mixed developments on public land and to support linkages with the Social Housing Initiative, which is part of the National Building Economic Stimulus Plan. More detailed information on the two components and how to apply will be available from 1 September 2009.

The new Affordable Rental Housing - State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP)  was launched on Friday, 31 July by Planning NSW. The policy provides a range of planning incentives to encourage  the creation of new affordable rental housing. The Affordable Rental Housing SEPP  is designed to maximize the benefits of the Commonwealth Government’s recent investments under the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) and the Economic Stimulus Package for new social housing. (31 July 09)

NEW PUBLICATION: "Playing a role in locally based economic development - A resource for housing associations" (July 09)

Support available for Registration under the new Code (9 July 09)
Registration assessments under the new Code are underway. The Federation, in partnership with Homelessness NSW, is providing free training and a set of support materials for those preparing their registrations. Nada Goodacre is the new project officer coordinating the training and support workshops and materials. To view any of the new resource material please go to the What is Community Housing section and view the “Regulatory” page for the available registration resources. Nada can be contacted on (02) 92871-7144 ext 210 for any further enquiries about registration training support or workshops.

Cabinet agrees to transfer title (25 June 09)
The NSW Cabinet has agreed to the transfer of title to community housing providers for the first time.  The initial transfer will include the majority of the new properties to be built as part of the Federal government’s stimulus package plus 500 properties owned by Housing NSW. Title to up to 7,000 properties could be transferred under this initiative. Housing Minister David Borger described this as an historic shift (See press release and the Minister’s speech in Parliament) http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/
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New Community Housing Regulation proclaimed (4 May 09)
The new Regulation encompassing the Regulatory Code came into effect on the 1st May 2009. This code will now apply to all registered community housing providers, and the Registrar now has the power to investigate. Assessments of all community housing providers will commence on July 1 and continue over the next two years. See copy of Regulation. For more information about Registration see www.rch.nsw.gov.au.

Large scale property transfers to housing associations (April 09)
At least 3,000 public housing properties will be transferred to community housing management over the next 12 months.  Fifteen associations will take on the management of these tenancies. The transfers are taking place in 17 local areas (across all regions) and a range of locations in Sydney.  The associations include some small regional organisations.  The transfers will see two associations double in size and seven others will increase by between 20 and 40 per cent.

Federation proposes new affordable housing charitable provisions to Henry Tax review (March 09)
To see the Federation submission:
http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/submissions/post_14_november_2008/ NSW_Federation_of_Housing_Associations_20090501.pdf
For further information on the Henry Tax Review …. http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/Content/Content.aspx?doc=html/home.htm

Federation gives evidence to Inquiry into homelessness and low-cost rental accommodation
To see submission. (6 April 09)
The Federation’s response to questions on notice can be seen here (http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/
Prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/47231E9379BBC350CA2575E8001210A1 )
along with evidence from members and experts (http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/
committee.nsf/0/78360C7CC2AE7EFCCA25751400150094 ) (July 2009)

$6.388 billion in funding for social housing announced! (2 Feb 09)
Federal government today announced $6.388 billion to be spent on social housing as part of and economic stimulus package
The $6.388 billion will be spent over the next 4 years to fund the construction of 20,000 new public and community housing dwellings to be completed by 2010.
$260 million of this will be apportioned in 2008-09; $4,072 million in 2009-10; $1744 million in 2010-11; and $312 million in 2011-12. Go to the Treasury website for more information.

Tax Office threat to charitable status averted for now (Nov 2008)
After intensive lobbying by the Federation and CHFA, a temporary change to the Tax Act will protect the charitable tax status of community housing providers who take part in the NRAS.  The announcement by the Treasurer protects existing charities for the first  phase of NRAS (link to media statement).  This means that a proper long term solution will still have to be sought through the Henry Review of the overall Tax Act.  Both CHFA and the Federation will continue to lobby to get a long term solution.

Partnerships
More and more housing associations are forming partnerships with the private sector and other agencies.  To assist with NRAS proposals the Federal Government has appointed Partnership facilitators.  The Community Housing Federation of Australia (CHFA) has been appointed as a national facilitator and the NSW Federation will be CHFA’s agent in NSW.  MacroPlan has also been appointed as the NSW partnership facilitator. See the partnerships page and resources.

Checks on tenant well-being
Housing NSW Tenant Connect is a free service where you receive a phone call each day to confirm you are safe and well. The service will be provided in partnership between Red Cross and Housing NSW (including the Office of Community Housing) across NSW. Tenants aged 80 or over and Aboriginal tenants aged 55 or over who live in public, community and Aboriginal housing will be eligible to apply for this service. More info

You can help create a fair go for all Australians... A new initiative Australia Fair provides all Australians with tools to read, discuss and act on fairness – particularly Fair Housing.  http://www.australiafair.org.au/public/Default.aspx

NSW Social Housing Common Access System presentation (24 Nov 2009)
Housing NSW, in partnership with the community housing sector, is developing a detailed strategy for creating a social housing common access system in NSW. A presentation on the common access system was given at 20 November 2009 Housing Associations Meeting by Mark Nutting, CAS Project Manager, Housing NSW. Download presentation

Special HAM
Watch video of special Housing Associations Meeting held 24th February 2009. (26 Feb 09)

NSW Housing Associations respond to Victorian Bushfire Appeal
Members of the Federation, and individual staff, have donated $6000 to the Red Cross 2009 Victorian Bushfire Appeal through the Federation's special appeal. Individual associations have also donated.

25 Years of Housing Associations
Watch video of '25 Years of Housing Associations in NSW' - (from 25 yr party November 2007). (26 Feb 09)

Statutory consultation on Regulatory Code
The consultation on the Housing Regulation 2008 have been completed. The amendments to the Code are now being considered. More info (5 Dec 2008) For the Federation submission see -submission.

National Rental Affordability Scheme Bill passes the Senate
The NRAS Bill passed the Senate on Monday 24th November after an Inquiry by the Senate Community Affairs Committee.  The Federation prepared a submission and presented evidence to the Inquiry (link to our submission) The Senate Inquiry’s report on the Bill has recommended that it be passed (link to report).  However, it was touch and go while a solution to the risk that community housing providers who participated could loose their charitable tax status was being negotiated.
The announcement of successful NRAS applicants is expected in the week beginning 1st December. 
The NRAS incentive is be made up of $6,000 per property per year for ten years from the Commonwealth (as a tax credit or a grant for not-for-profits) and $2,000 a year (in cash or kind) from States. The second Call for Applications for incentives in the Establishment Phase, Round 2, is due to be issued soon. http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/housing/nras.htm
To apply in NSW: http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/Centre+For+Affordable+Housing/NRAS/
NRAS is a key part of a package of changes introduced by the Federal Government to tackle housing affordability and homelessnesshttp://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/housing/haf.htm http://www.alp.org.au/media/0508/mshouia130.php

Community housing rents changed
The government rent policy determining how community housing rents are set has changed.  Community housing rents for new tenants have risen from July 1.  Most of this increase will be offset by an increase in the tenant’s entitlement to Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA).  Existing tenants’ rents will increase following their next scheduled rent review.
The new rents will be calculated based on a combination of 25% of ‘assessable’ household income, 15% of Family Tax Benefit, and 100% of Commonwealth Rent Assistance Entitlements (as long as the new rent is not more than market rent).
The new rent will mean a net increase in housing costs (after taking the increase in CRA into account) for most current tenants.  This will be phased in over a number of years. 
While the Federation welcomes the general approach to ensure stronger income streams which will allow associations to provide more housing opportunities for future tenants, we have expressed strong concerns to government about the impact on current tenants.

2008 NSW Community Housing Conference - Conference papers now available.

NSW Awards for Excellence in Community Housing 2008 - winners

‘Growth providers’ now finalised
Following the second round tenders, the associations awarded ‘growth provider’ status have been finalised.  They are Affordable Community Housing, Blue CHP (a consortium of five associations: Argyle, Hume, South Coast, Wentworth and Womens), Compass, Community Housing Ltd, North Coast. St George, and South West Inner Sydney Housing (SWISH).
The growth providers will receive weighting in tenders for AIHF tenders, some will convert a number of existing leases into 35-year leases to provide an income stream that supports investment in further housing.  In addition, they will manage a high proportion of new supply in the metropolitan area and start work towards managing and developing their own properties.

Latest round of Affordable Housing Innovation Funds (AHIF) awarded
The latest round of funding under the Affordable Housing Innovations Fund has been announced with government investment being made into four projects:  Blue CHP (40), South Coast Community Housing Ltd (8), St George Community Housing Co. (50) and Compass (4) have been successful in receiving funding to acquire a total of 102 homes in the Sydney, South Coast and Newcastle area. Unlike previous Debt Equity tenders, a proportion of the properties will not need to be set aside for public housing eligible applicants. Instead, all those housed can be drawn from a mix of very low to moderate income households (earning 50% or less of median household income - 120% of median income). The next round will provide at least $16.5 million of government investment.  However, it is expected that these projects will also be designed to utilise the new National Rental Affordability Scheme incentives.

NSW Tenancy Law Reform
The Residential Tenancy Act NSW 1987 is currently under review. Watch this space for further updates.

National Regulatory Framework made public
After confidential work for the past couple of years, the report and outline of a national framework through which affordable housing providers can be consistently registered across jurisdictions has been made public.  States and territories have outlined their implementation plans to move towards the national approach and may soon agree to an MOU to provide more certainty.  (http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/528AF50D-02B0-4AF1-9E7A-632F791DD40E/0/NatRegFrameworkProposalwithinsertforAttachment22.pdf)