2014: Dusting off the Senate's 2008 housing affordability report or real progress?

There will be a Senate inquiry into affordable housing this year.

Just a fortnight before Christmas, Queensland Senator Jan McLucas, Labor's Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, secured the inquiry that will investigate private and public accommodation, both ownership and rental.

The economics references committee, currently taking submissions, will report by 26 June.

Of course it was only 2008 when a Senate select committee on housing affordability in Australia last reported.

So just how much this latest effort involves dusting off the prior submissions and the final report will be interesting to note. It might be optimistic to expect many new understandings emerge.

This inquiry will look at the biggest bugbear - the role of all levels of government in facilitating affordable home ownership and affordable private rental, especially the taxes and levies imposed by the Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments.

It will provide a timely look at the operation, effect and future of the National Rental Affordability Scheme.

The regulatory structures governing the roles of financial institutions and superannuation funds in the home lending and property sectors will be reviewed. 

Issues including appropriate, affordable and adaptable accommodation that  ensures emergency and essential service workers have access to affordable housing close to where they work will no doubt be addressed.

Also the important role of innovation in building materials and construction, including prefabricated and sustainable materials.

Alreeady three submissions have been lodged .. no none from our Monday morning columnist Catherine Cashmore. She's of the view that it could be just a repeat version of the 2008 report entitled “A good house is hard to find: Housing affordability in Australia” which was detailed in its content.

"It’s five years later and we seem to be no further forward," Catherine suggests.

I argue we are actually probably the poorer. And the Abbott Government's inexplicable axing of the National Housing Supply Council does create a void that can, inpart, be filled by the senate inquiry.

But not with any great hope for significant change. I am inclined to agree with economist Saul Eslake that politics – more than any other single factor – means that Australians are likely to have to live with a dysfunctional housing system for a long time yet to come.