Submission on Commonwealth Land (Affordable Housing) Bill 2026

Download the PDF Submission here.

The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia supports the Commonwealth Land (Affordable Housing) Bill 2026, which would require a proportion of homes built on Commonwealth land sold or leased for residential development to be affordable housing. The submission argues that, despite increased government investment, housing construction remains insufficient to meet demand. Public land should deliver lasting community benefits alongside financial returns.

The Society supports the Bill’s focus on low- to moderate-income households, with rent set at the lower of 75 per cent of market rent or 30 per cent of household income. It also endorses management by registered not-for-profit community housing providers and measures to preserve affordability over the long term, including permanently where local land laws allow.

The submission supports the default 30 per cent affordable housing requirement, while calling for a legislated share of that component to be social housing. It cites National Shelter’s recommendation that social housing comprise at least 40 per cent of the affordable housing component. The Society also suggests allowing state and territory public housing authorities to participate where this improves housing outcomes and placing the Bill within a broader public land strategy.