Dear Prime Minister,

Regional Australia is experiencing a housing crisis. And we need the Government to guarantee dedicated funding to increase housing supply in regional, rural and remote Australia – not just the big cities.

Almost one in three Australians live outside the major cities. The housing needs and demands of our regional communities are different. The lack of housing supply is a handbrake on our local economies, we can’t fill important jobs as there is nowhere for people to live.

We are calling on your Government to guarantee at least 30 per cent of the total housing spend for housing in regional Australia – where 30 per cent of the population lives.

Your Government has put forward multiple policies on housing, but there is no guaranteed funding which specifically addresses the issues regional Australia faces.

We are calling on your government to support the Unlocking Regional Housing Bill introduced by Independent Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines.

The Unlocking Regional Housing Bill changes the rules to make it easier for local governments to apply for funding for critical enabling infrastructure like sewerage and drainage to get more houses built.

The bill would require the Housing Minister to outline the action needed so regional, rural and remote Australia gets 30% of housing infrastructure funding.

We call on you to support this Bill and guarantee dedicated funding for housing in regional, rural and remote Australia.

For more information on Helen Haines’ Bill, please visit helenhaines.org/housing.