Australia's housing crisis is worsening and requires bold action from all governments, ACOSS said today following the release of The State of the Housing System 2025 report.
The report, published by the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (NHSAC), found housing affordability has continued to deteriorate, especially for people on the lowest incomes, while rental stress has become more persistent and is damaging people's health.
The report also highlights the disproportionate housing stress experienced by First Nations people, including higher rates of homelessness, rental stress and housing insecurity.
ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie AO said the report reinforces the urgent need to substantially lift income support, invest in social housing, deliver long-overdue tax reform and strengthen renters' rights.
"This report paints a devastating picture of our housing system in crisis. When more than half of low-income renters are in housing stress and one in five are spending more than half of their income on rent, it is clear our current system is locking people out and driving inequality," Dr Goldie said.
"With the Housing Australia Future Fund now in place, the federal government has the foundation to be more ambitious by scaling up and initiating other new investment in social and affordable housing.
"We must significantly lift income supports of those with the least, boost social housing supply to meet unmet demand, including by committing to a long term target that social and affordable housing is 10 per cent of all homes, as the report recommends. These dwellings must also be energy efficient, climate-resilient and accessible.
"We support the recommendation for governments to provide greater financial support for First Nations housing organisations, and this must be accompanied by full implementation of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap."
ACOSS also says tax breaks for speculative property investment are driving up home prices and worsening inequality, and the shrinking share of social housing means people on low incomes who are unable to afford a private rental are increasingly being forced into homelessness.
"Right now, tax concessions are working against housing affordability at significant cost to the budget," Dr Goldie said.
"We support the call to urgently review and reform tax settings for housing, and this must include curbing negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions, and replacing stamp duty with a broad-based land tax.
"The government must seize the opportunity to ensure everyone in Australia has an adequate income and access to secure and affordable housing."
