You can make a submission on the Draft Policy Statement on Council’s Participate Hobsons Bay page. There are two ways to have your say: 1. Complete the survey and/or 2. Make a written submission. The Draft Policy Statement will be available for feedback from Monday 17 July to Monday 28 August 2023.

The Draft Policy Statement will be available for feedback for a period of six weeks from Monday 17 July until Monday 28 August 2023.

Council’s Draft Policy Statement adopts the definition of Affordable Housing in the Planning and Environment Act 1987. As per Section 3AA of the Act, Affordable Housing is defined as:

housing, including social housing, that is appropriate for the housing needs of any of the following:

a) very low income households

b) low income households

c) moderate income households

This definition relates to the income ranges for household groups published by the Victorian Government each year. In 2023-24, for example, annual income thresholds for very low income households were defined as follows: single adult (up to $29,770), couples with no dependents (up to $44,650), and family and dependent children (up to $62,510).

The definition of Affordable Housing in the Planning and Environment Act 1987 includes different types of Affordable Housing that fit within a broader housing ‘continuum’. Council’s Draft Policy Statement will focus primarily on the following types of Affordable Housing:

• Social housing – rental housing suitable for the needs of households on the Victorian Housing Register (typically very low to low income households), provided either by government (public housing) or the community housing sector (community housing).
• Affordable rental housing – rental housing that is suitable for the needs of primarily moderate-income households and priced (typically as a percentage of market rate) so these households can meet their other essential living costs.
• Affordable purchase housing – housing available for purchase that is suitable for the needs of primarily moderate-income households, typically at a percentage of market rate and/or through programs such as “shared equity” or “rent to buy”.

Other forms of Affordable Housing (such as crisis accommodation and transitional housing) will not be a primary focus for the Draft Policy Statement, as they typically provide short-term housing options. Private rental and private ownership are also out of scope, as Council has limited capacity to influence housing affordability in the private market.

Hobsons Bay City Council has a long-standing interest in Affordable Housing dating back to the adoption of the Affordable Housing Policy and Strategy in 2002. More recently, Council’s efforts have been guided by the Affordable Housing Policy Statement 2016, with a key focus on advocacy and negotiating Affordable Housing contributions through the planning system. Council has also sought to extend its role in recent years through the development of the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust and consideration of the use of Council-owned assets.

The Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust supports negotiations, planning mechanisms and controls for the delivery of affordable housing and supports the Council’s Housing Policy Statement commitment to ensure all households in Hobsons Bay can live in affordable, secure, and appropriate housing that meets their needs, particularly those with low and moderate incomes.

Housing Choices Australia (HCA) was appointed by Council as the Trustee of the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust. HCA is a registered housing agency and has experience managing other housing trusts, as well as developing and managing Affordable Housing in Hobsons Bay and across metropolitan Melbourne. The further development of the Trust is a key priority for Council, and an important part of our approach to increasing supply of Affordable Housing in Hobsons Bay.

Further detail on the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust is presented in the Affordable Housing Policy Statement Background Paper (see Document Library).

Key achievements under the Affordable Housing Policy Statement 2016 include:

• Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust - in 2019, Council established the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust, with Housing Choices Australia (HCA) appointed Trustee in 2020.
• Planning scheme amendments – several planning scheme amendments have been completed to re-zone industrial land for residential use, with requirements for Affordable Housing written into the planning controls.
• Advocacy – Council has made submissions to numerous committees and projects, including the Victorian Government’s Ten-Year Social and Affordable Housing Strategy (2021) and Social and Affordable Housing Compact (2022).
• Affordable housing contributions – Council has successfully negotiated Affordable Housing contributions on planning permit applications, leading to the development of Section 173 agreements with several developers and landowners.
• Epsom Street Affordable Housing Project – in 2014, Council purchased the former Laverton Primary School site for the purpose of creating open space and exploring the feasibility of providing affordable housing on the site. Recent activities on this project include community consultation on the draft Design Guidelines, adoption of updated Design Guidelines, and commencing process to transfer land to the Trust.
  Please visit https://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Council/Strategy... for more information on the Affordable Housing Policy Statement 2016.

Since Council’s Affordable Housing Policy Statement was adopted in 2016, there have been some important changes to policy, funding and development contexts that have been incorporated into the Draft Policy Statement, including:

• Affordable Housing definition – in 2018, a definition of Affordable Housing was added to the Planning and Environment Act 1987, as well as an objective to ‘facilitate the provision of affordable housing in Victoria’.
• Big Housing Build – in 2020, the Victorian Government commenced the Big Housing Build to deliver 12,000 social and affordable housing dwellings in Victoria, as well as introducing changes to the planning system to streamline implementation.
• Commonwealth Government – in 2022, the newly elected Commonwealth Government signaled its intention to fund the development of new Affordable Housing dwellings through the Housing Australia Future Fund.
• Changing local development context – with the re-zoning of previous industrial land for residential use, there will be fewer (and smaller) opportunities for Affordable Housing contributions to be secured via future rezoning processes.
• Other government reform – the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments have introduced various reforms that are likely to affect the supply of Affordable Housing, including winding back the National Rental Affordability Scheme, introducing the Windfall Gains Tax, and proposing (and subsequently) withdrawing the Social and Affordable Housing Contribution.

The purpose of the Draft Policy Statement is to guide Council’s efforts to increase the supply of Affordable Housing in Hobsons Bay. It is underpinned by the following Statement of Intent:

Hobsons Bay City Council acknowledges that safe, secure and affordable housing is a fundamental human right, and a key determinant of individual and community health and wellbeing. Council will continue to support and encourage increased supply of Affordable Housing in Hobsons Bay to meet the current and future needs of our community.

Overall, there have been relatively few changes from the current Policy Statement. Several commitments have been carried forward, while others have been updated or added. Key changes to the Draft Policy Statement commitments include:

• Advocacy for Planning Reforms (5.1.2) – outlines Council’s support for the introduction of a new state-wide planning provision that would make affordable housing contributions mandatory for applications and amendments that seek to rezone or redevelop land to deliver 20 or more dwellings.
• Negotiating voluntary contributions (5.2.1, 5.2.2) – consolidates Council’s position on voluntary affordable housing contributions sought through the planning system. Council will continue to seek a 10 per cent affordable housing contribution for amendments that rezone land to create 20 or more dwellings. For applications that redevelop rather than rezone land, Council will seek a contribution of between 5 and 10 per cent on sites that yield 20 or more dwellings.
• Investigate incentives through the planning system (5.2.7) – updates Council’s commitment to explore incentives to encourage more affordable housing through the planning system. For example, consideration of a priority planning process that retains Council Officer delegation for relevant planning permit applications that provide an Affordable Housing contribution of at least 5 per cent.
• Exploring incentives to use the Trust (5.3.4) – introduces a proposed new commitment to identify incentives within Council’s control to encourage developers and landowners to use of the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust to deliver affordable housing contributions.
• Assessment of Council-owned assets (5.4.1) – re-affirms Council’s commitment to consider Affordable Housing as one of the outcomes when assessing Council-owned assets as part of the delivery of Council’s Property Strategy 2021.
• Supporting at risk residents (5.6.2, 5.6.3) – introduces proposed new commitments to build capability within Council to support vulnerable residents to access available housing and homelessness services and supports, and to continue facilitating connections between government agencies, registered housing agencies, service providers and other organisations providing local supports and services.
• Investigate rates concessions for the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust (5.6.5) – introduces a proposed new commitment to investigate rates concessions for properties owned or managed by the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust.

The following organisations provide housing and homelessness support:

• Housing Vic – Crisis and emergency contacts (free call 1800 825 955, 24 hours); Help and support (Footscray Office - 1300 360 462; Sunshine Office - 9229 4100; https://www.housing.vic.gov.au/contacts)
• Unison Housing – Housing Support, Initial Assessment and Planning Service (Seddon Office - 9689 2777; Werribee Office - 9216 0300; https://unison.org.au)
• Latitude – Food and housing assistance for young people (Altona Office – 9315 0061, http://www.latitude.asn.au)
• Local support services - information on local support services and organisations (see https://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Services/Rates/Hardship-support-services-in-Hobsons-Bay-and-other-referral-points)