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The body that administers the government’s social and affordable housing programs has announced that it is rebranding the key social and affordable housing programs in a phased implementation.
The changes see several long-running programs consolidated under clearer, simpler banners as part of a joint effort between the Australian government and Housing Australia.
Under the new structure, key programs will be grouped and rebranded as:
- HAFF – Social and Affordable, which will consolidate the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility (HAFF), the National Housing Accord Facility (NHAF), the National Housing Infrastructure Facility – Social and Affordable Housing, and the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator.
- HAFF – Crisis and Transitional, which will replace the National Housing Infrastructure Facility – Crisis and Transitional.
- Housing Australia Critical Infrastructure, which will replace the National Housing Infrastructure Facility – Critical Infrastructure.
Housing Australia said the changes will be implemented in phases, with close collaboration between government and stakeholders to ensure continuity of operations and a smooth transition.
The rebrand is designed to streamline funding pathways; improve co-ordination across programs; and strengthen engagement with states and territories, industry partners, and the community housing sector.
Housing Australia said it remains focused on working with delivery partners to accelerate the supply of well-located homes and deliver lasting benefits for communities.
The changes follow a broader trend of housing policy rebranding by the federal government this year. The Home Guarantee Scheme was renamed the 5 per cent Deposit Scheme when the expanded program launched on 1 October alongside a new government housing website.
That site provides information on a range of initiatives, including the Family Home Guarantee (the 2 per cent deposit scheme for single parents and legal guardians), the First Home Super Saver Scheme, and the new Help to Buy shared equity scheme.
New funding round to launch in January
The rebrand also comes ahead of the third – and largest – funding round of the Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord Facility, which is set to open in late January 2026, inviting community housing providers and state and territory governments to deliver new social and affordable homes by June 2029.
Housing Australia said the third round will help unlock investment to deliver the remaining 21,350 social and affordable homes needed to meet the government’s target of 20,000 new social and 20,000 new affordable homes over five years from 2024.
Funding packages of varying sizes will be offered to encourage partnerships led by community housing providers, state and territory governments, and other eligible recipients. Priority will be given to well-located, high-quality, value-for-money projects that can be delivered quickly, including metropolitan, regional, rural, and remote developments.
The government has said that Round 3 will accelerate the delivery of more homes through an updated model, featuring a simpler demand-driven application process; minimum portfolio sizes to ensure scale and value for money; new partnerships across community housing providers, governments, and industry; expanded co-investment with states and territories; and a new regional and rural component to boost supply across non-metropolitan Australia.
The round will include $600 million in dedicated funding for First Nations housing organisations, a two-stage on-demand application process, and a new First Nations Concierge service. A 10 per cent First Nations tenancy target will apply across all social housing delivered under the round.
Over the past 17 months, the HAFF has committed 279 contracts supporting 18,650 homes nationwide. Of these, 889 homes have been completed, and 9,501 are currently under construction.
As the independent national housing authority, Housing Australia works with the private sector, community housing providers, and all levels of government to expand access to social and affordable housing and home ownership, guided by five strategic objectives. These are focused on growing the community housing sector, increasing housing supply, strengthening stakeholder relationships, delivering high-performance outcomes, and embedding best-practice governance as it transitions from a build phase to an innovation and growth phase.
New board members join Housing Australia
Last week, Housing Australia welcomed new appointments to its board, after Housing Minister Clare O’Neil confirmed that housing specialist Haleh Homaei (currently the head of housing programs at affordable housing company Assemble) and public servant Ken Smith AO (currently the chair of the board of aged care service provider The Benevolent Society and Professor of Practice at QUT) as members of the Housing Australia Board. They have both been appointed for five-year terms.
O’Neil also confirmed that Damien Tangey would continue in his role as acting chair until July 2026 (taking over from Carol Austin, who resigned in late November).
Tangey has over 30 years of experience in the property industry across planning, development, infrastructure, and construction industries and has a deep understanding of housing delivery challenges across metro, urban, regional, and rural settings. Tangey held a number of advisory roles in government, including the Victorian Planning Authority, and on community‑based boards like community housing provider Haven Home Safe.
Other board members of Housing Australia include:
- Former Resimac CEO Mary Ploughman (who is currently the chair of the board of non-bank lender Plenti)
- Former ASIC commissioner Cathie Armour (who is also currently a non-executive director of the Australian Payments Network)
- Infrastructure specialist Matina Papathanasiou (also a board member of the United Nations Risk Reduction Investment Advisory Board)
- Public policy and economic analyst Nigel Ray PSM (also currently conducting the government review of residential aged care accommodation funding and pricing arrangements)
- Former Victorian minister for planning and housing and state member for Richmond, Richard Wynne (currently the chair of mental health service The Haven Foundation, part of Mind Australia)
- Former CEO of residential builder BGC Residential and Simonds Group, Kelvin Ryan (currently managing director of advisory firm Jabez Advisory).
[Related: Help to Buy officially launches today]