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NSW State Election 2023 - NCOSS Policy Priority 5

Enhance safety, security and wellbeing for women impacted by domestic and family violence by investing in social housing

The housing crisis continues to worsen in NSW, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. Since the pandemic, housing insecurity has worsened for women in NSW. While a long term approach to address the housing crisis is needed, there is an urgent need for immediate relief for women and children placed in untenable circumstances because of domestic and family violence.

Below we outline our solution to this issue and policy responses from the major parties in the lead up to the 2023 NSW State Election.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to -

  • Construct social housing for the 4,812 women and their children experiencing domestic and family violence who become homeless or return to a violent relationship because of a lack of housing.

Coalition - NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

Have committed to -

  • Provide victims of domestic violence with access to the First Home Buyer Choice and First Home Buyer Assistance schemes, irrespective of whether they have previously owned a property with their partner.
  • Remove the eligibility criteria for bond loans for victims of domestic violence.
  • $426.6 million to expand the Core and Cluster initiative, to deliver and operate new women’s refuges that will support up to an additional 2,900 women and children escaping domestic and family violence each year.
  • https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/removing-barriers-for-domestic-violence-victim-survivors

The Greens NSW

Have committed to -

  • Invest in and build significantly more public, social and affordable homes, by delivering 10,000 new public and social homes each year for the next 10 years.
  • Require parliamentary approval for the sell off of public housing and public land.
  • Lower the priority age for social housing eligibility from 80 years old so that the growing number of at risk older people, especially women, will be eligible for priority public and social housing.
  • Ensure whole of government commitment to a "Housing First" policy approach.
  • First Nations owned and managed housing.
  • https://greens.org.au/nsw/actionplantoendhomelessness
  • Require big property developers to include at least 30% ongoing affordable housing in all new large private residential developments.
  • Ban the sale of public housing and public land that can be used for housing.
  • Legislate a requirement that at least 10% of all dwellings in NSW must be public and not-for-profit social housing.
  • Fund and enable local councils to meet affordable housing targets and create more affordable homes.
  • Support not-for-profit community housing initiatives, including shared equity and cooperative housing models.
  • Apply a 5% empty homes levy with some exemptions, for homes left empty for over six months with the funds going towards creating more public, social and affordable homes.
  • Introduce a new land tax on owner-occupied residential properties with an unimproved land value over $10 million or an improved value over $20 million at a flat 4% of the improved value.
  • Increase the rate of land tax payable on non owner-occupied properties and land that meets the NSW government Premium Threshold to 5% from 2%, and expand the Premium Threshold to include investors who own more than 8 residential properties.
  • Abolish the build-to-rent 50% land tax concession unless these developments yield at least 30% ongoing social and affordable housing on private land and 100% on publicly owned land.
  • Maintain existing hardship deferrals for residential land and exemptions on primary production lands and conduct an independent review of other exemptions.
  • Use all revenue raised by this tax to build or purchase more social and affordable homes.
  • https://greens.org.au/nsw/makehousingaffordable2023
  • "Address the homelessness crisis for older women and women at risk" with a "massive" boost to funding for specialist women’s housing, women’s refuges and homelessness services.
  • https://greens.org.au/nsw/womensequalityandsafety

NSW Labor

Have committed to -

Published February 2023. For reference and context, please visit NCOSS Policy Tracker 2023 and NCOSS Policy Platform 2023: Working Together for a Fairer NSW.

Queries about this page to: advocacy@ncoss.org.au