AHRC pledges support for parliamentary push to make adequate housing a human right

Recently, ACT independent Senator David Pocock and member for North Sydney Kylea Tink introduced a private member’s bill into the Senate and House of Representatives that would require adequate housing to be treated as a human right for every Australian by mandating that the federal government make a long-term plan to transform Australia’s housing system.

The bill would, the pair noted at the time, require current and future governments to develop, implement and maintain a 10-year National Housing and Homelessness Plan in line with legislated objectives, including improving housing supply, affordability and ending homelessness.

“We need big ambition and bold action if we are to stand any chance of solving Australia’s crippling housing crisis,” Senator Pocock said.

“The complexity of this crisis requires a long-term strategy and commitment that endures beyond short-term political cycles. Legislating the ongoing requirement for a National Housing and Homelessness Plan can help deliver that.”

Tink said: “Every Australian deserves the right to an adequate standard of living, which includes the right to adequate housing. Access to safe and secure housing is one of our most basic human rights and is fundamental to individuals, families, communities and our nation thriving.”

“For too long, our approach to housing policy has been piecemeal, short-term, or simply put in the ‘too-hard basket’ and the results have been disastrous.”

Recently, former judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, the Honourable Kevin Bell AO KC, appeared on The Lawyers Weekly Show to discuss what he called Australia’s “housing disaster” and how Australia has “lost its way” on housing matters.

Now, the Australian Human Rights Commission has pledged its support for the bill.

New AHRC president Hugh de Kretser said: “Everyone needs a home. We should all be able to live somewhere in security, safety, and dignity. Yet for many people in Australia, this is currently out of reach.”

De Kretser was appointed to the role in late May and has made the enactment of a federal Human Rights Act a top priority for his presidency.

“This bill, if passed, would help to address this. It would promote a human rights-based approach to housing policy by requiring the federal government to develop a long-term plan to prevent and end homelessness and improve housing supply and affordability. It would improve accountability including by requiring progress reports to ensure we are making positive inroads into housing challenges,” de Kretser said.

“We need to treat housing as a human right, not a commodity. The commission is finalising significant work on the right to adequate housing, which will be released later in the year.

“We look forward to working with governments and the housing and homelessness sectors to [improve] the realisation of this fundamental right.”

This article was originally featured in Broker Daily's sister brand Lawyers Weekly.