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Housing advocates have made a last-ditch plea to crossbench senators to pass the government's multibillion dollar housing fund.
Ahead of the last parliamentary sitting week before the two-month long winter break, advocacy groups said the country could not afford delays in implementing the Housing Australia Future Fund.
In a joint statement, representatives from groups including Community Housing Industry Association, Homelessness Australia and the Property Council said the time had come to pass the legislation to address the housing crisis.
"The time for repairing our housing system has arrived," the joint statement said.
"The new institutions it will create, such as Housing Australia and the Housing Supply Affordability Council need to start their important work."
The $10 billion fund would aim to invest earnings to build 30,000 social and affordable homes over the next five years.
Negotiations had stalled after the Greens said the government was not doing enough to address the housing crisis, urging more to be done for renters.
Following the impasse, the government announced it would spend $2 billion as a social housing booster payment, which would be shared among the states and territories.
The Greens are yet to decide whether they will now back the bill following the new funding announcement, but will meet later in the week.
Community Housing Industry Association chief executive Wendy Hayhurst was hopeful the additional funding would mean the bill gets over the line.
"This should enable a real kickstart of a proper revival of social and affordable housing," she told AAP.
"Let's get this passed and working and so we can move on to other issues."
Ms Hayhurst said if the bill does not pass parliament during the week, the housing situation would get worse by the time Senate resumes.
"The longer it goes on, and the longer it takes to build housing, people can't hold out to hope on these projects," she said.
"The fear is it doesn't pass this week, will it ever pass?"
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Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew has lamented a missed opportunity but is not giving up on the Suns' push for a maiden finals appearance.
In a horror second quarter at the MCG on Sunday, Gold Coast were blown away by Carlton as they lost the term by 54 points in conceding 9.3 to 0.3.
The Suns were mostly competitive for the remainder of the match but the Blues' resurgent midfield ran riot in that 30-minute period to put the result beyond doubt.
"We'll lick our wounds, but I think as the season shows it's about who bounces back from - whether it's these type of performances or these type of quarters - they are the ones that continue to move forward," Dew said.
"And we need to make sure we're one of those teams.
"If we are to lose, we'd like to lose with a little bit more fight than what we did today.
"But we'll keep it level as we did when we've had some good performances. I think that's been a strength of ours."
Dew said while many observers looked at the Suns in the context of the club's entire history in regard to their failure to yet make the finals, he noted his current outfit was vastly different to those who'd gone before.
"When they talk about this group, everyone lumps the 10 or 11 years together, but we've probably only got two guys left from that (early) period," he said.
"We certainly feel in a different space.
"We've put more demand on our group and they've accepted it and that's why they'd be disappointed."
Gold Coast (6-7) enter a season-defining fortnight back at Heritage Bank Stadium sitting 11th on the ladder ahead of games against Hawthorn and premiership favourites Collingwood.
Co-captain and star midfielder Touk Miller (knee) is still about a month away from returning even though he is ahead of his recovery schedule.
Highly-touted Suns Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson were given a lesson by a hungry Blues on-ball brigade led by Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh.
Dew said his two young midfielders had played well in Miller's absence but expected them to respond fiercely from a poor outing.
"Knowing that midfield group, and to be fair to them, they've carried a big load and been so impressive so I don't think I'll have to poke the bear too much," he said.
"I reckon they'll have some steely eyes this week.
"They're a bunch of competitors and I think they'll go and have a look at it, get together individually and collectively and do something about it next game."
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The federal government has confirmed it will divvy up its $2 billion social housing booster payment to Australia's states and territories on a per capita basis.
NSW will receive the lion's share of $610 million, Victoria will get $496m, Queensland $398m and Western Australia $209m.
South Australians will see $135m of the money, while Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT will take minimum slices of $50m.
The funds will be allocated over the next fortnight.
Thousands of new homes will be created for public housing tenants with both new developments and upgrades of existing properties that are currently uninhabitable on the drawing board.
All of the money is to be committed by states and territories within two years ending June 30, 2025.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Social Housing Accelerator at the Victorian Labor conference on Saturday.
He did not specify how many homes would be created, saying that would depend on how governments chose to spend the money.
"State and territory governments have agreed it will be in perpetuity, so we're not going to have public housing built and then flogged off," he told reporters.
He said premiers and chief ministers had agreed to amend some planning laws, reform zoning and free up more land for new builds.
NSW Premier Chris Minns welcomed the additional support, saying it was desperately needed.
"We've got a severe housing shortage in the state, both public, social and of course in the private market as well," he told Sky News.
"We have to be making sure this policy initiative, as well as many others, are pursued, because we can't have a situation where more inbound immigrants that come into Australia's largest state (are) putting more pressure on the housing market and the NSW government's standing flat footed."
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said the new funding was critical.
"It just astounds me (that) both the coalition and the Greens are holding up the future fund housing package in the Senate, which goes to providing houses for veterans, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and women escaping domestic violence," she said.
"How on earth can you justify holding that up?"
The move comes as the Greens continue to block laws in the Senate to enable the government's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, calling for more ambitious spend and rent controls.
Greens leader Adam Bandt claimed the government had caved in to his party's demands on social housing and would negotiate over the entire $10 billion package in good faith.
The Greens say a rent freeze is needed to tackle the rising cost of housing but state leaders have ruled out taking any action, arguing it would reduce the flow of supply and investment.
Instead they have committed to working with Mr Albanese on improving renters' rights, delivering on a 20,000-dwelling national housing accord, and progressing a new national housing and homelessness plan.
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The federal government has confirmed it will divvy up its $2 billion social housing booster payment to Australia's states and territories on a per capita basis.
NSW will receive the lion's share of $610 million, Victoria will get $496m, Queensland $398m and Western Australia $209m.
South Australians will see $135m of the money, while Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT will take minimum slices of $50m each.
The funds will be allocated over the next fortnight.
Thousands of new homes will be created for public housing tenants with both new developments and upgrades of existing properties that are currently uninhabitable on the drawing board.
All of the money is to be committed by states and territories within two years ending June 30, 2025.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Social Housing Accelerator at the Victorian Labor conference on Saturday.
He did not specify exactly how many homes would be created, saying that would depend on how governments chose to spend the money.
"State and territory governments have agreed that it will be in perpetuity, so we're not going to have public housing built and then flogged off," he told reporters.
He said premiers and chief ministers had agreed to amend some planning laws, reform zoning and free up more land for new builds.
NSW Premier Chris Minns welcomed the news of the additional housing funds, saying it was desperately needed.
"We've got a severe housing shortage in the state, both public, social and of course in the private market as well," he told Sky News.
"We have to be making sure that this policy initiative, as well as many others, are pursued, because we can't have a situation where more inbound immigrants that come into Australia's largest state (are) putting more pressure on the housing market and the NSW government's standing flat footed."
The move comes as the Greens continue to block laws in the Senate to enable the government's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, calling for more ambitious spend and rent controls.
"Our government is not going to wait around while members of the Greens political party call for more housing in the media while opposing it in their electorates and voting against it in the parliament," Mr Albanese told the conference.
However, Greens leader Adam Bandt claimed the government had caved in to his party's demands on social housing and would negotiate over the entire $10 billion package in good faith.
The Property Council and Master Builders has welcomed the $2 billion boost as a positive step towards addressing affordability, with demand for social housing having increased almost three times as fast as the growth in population.
The Greens say a rent freeze is needed to tackle the rising cost of housing but state leaders have ruled out taking any action, arguing it would reduce the flow of supply and investment.
Instead they have committed to working with Mr Albanese on improving renters' rights, delivering on a 20,000-dwelling national housing accord, and progressing a new national housing and homelessness plan.
At the Liberal federal council meeting on Saturday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton recommitted to allowing first home buyers to access their superannuation for a house deposit.
© AAP 2023
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