Housing and Homelessness Forum
18 September 2013
Welcome and introduction
David Eades
Deputy Director-General
Housing Services
Government’s strategies to
help people in housing need
The Honourable Tim Mander MP
Minister for Housing and Public Works
QUESTIONS?
Afternoon tea – 15 minutes
National Regulatory System
for Community Housing
Mark Francis
Executive Director
Office of the Registrar
National Regulatory System – Vision
To contribute to a well governed and
managed national community housing
sector and provide a platform for the
ongoing development and viability of the
community housing sector across Australia.
Source: NRSCH Charter
7
Benefits of registering
• Membership in a regulated industry
• Assurance for tenants their provider is delivering a
quality service
• Demonstrating excellence to the public and investors
8
System features
•
•
•
•
A registrar in each participating state/territory
One primary registrar for each provider
Single, national public register of providers
Consistent, baseline national standards for membership
of the industry
9
System features cont…
•
•
•
•
•
National Law
National Regulatory Code – performance requirements
Requirements to register in a tier
Demonstrate performance
Rules around how the Registrar enforces requirements
National Regulatory System for Community Housing
10
National Regulatory Code
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tenant and housing services
Housing assets
Community engagement
Governance
Probity
Management
Financial viability
11
Level of Regulatory Scrutiny
A tiered system of regulation
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
12
Applying for a tier
• Providers can choose which tier to apply for based on:
– nature of current and future activities
– level of regulatory engagement needed to
manage risk
• Inherent risk may compel a Registrar to ask a provider to
register in a particular tier
• Providers can apply to change their tier as their
circumstances change
13
Example:
Typical registration tier for different community housing
activities
National Regulatory System for Community Housing
14
Ongoing compliance assessments
•
•
•
•
The compliance framework is under development
Tiers 1 and 2: annual compliance assessments
Tier 3: compliance assessments every two years
All tiers will have regular reporting obligations
15
Local Government providers
• State-based requirements consistent with Tier 3
• Streamlined reporting that utilises reports Local
Governments prepare for other agencies
• If you wish to register nationally, you will need to form a
company or other eligible corporate structure
16
Application for registration process
Initiation
- Provisional
tiering
Eligibility
&
Tier Form
(ETF)
Application
For
Registration
(AFR)
- Registrar
releases ETF
- Registrar
releases AFR
- Completes and
submits ETF
- Provider
completes and
submits AFR
- Registrar
assesses ETF
- Registrar
assesses AFR
Report
Determination
- Registrar
issues Draft
Report to
Providers
- Approve
registration
and entry on
public register
- Provider
response to
Draft Report
- Not approve
registration
- Report Issued
HELP
- Application Guidance Note
- Financial Viability Guidance Note
- Evidence Guidelines
- Tier Guidelines
- Registrar and staff
17
Implementation
Phased approach
• Phase 1 – Testing and evaluation
– six months of testing and evaluation of processes and
procedures
• Phase 2 – Registration and transition
– full transition to the new system, with an 18-month transition
period under the Housing Act 2003
– providers able to apply for national registration
18
Who is participating in Phase 1?
• 24 community housing providers across all states and
territories and all tiers
• In Queensland:
– Horizon Housing Company
– Mangrove Housing Association Incorporated
– Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre Inc.
– Charters Towers Neighbourhood Centre Inc.
– Whitsunday Housing Company
– Girudala Community Co-operative Society Limited
19
Key dates for Phase 1 (2013)
Notification of selected Phase 1 participants
June
Briefing session for Phase 1 participants
July
Start of registration application process
Mid-July
Phase 1 assessments and draft reports
Late
September
Provider responses to draft reports
Early October
Phase 1 registration final reports
Late October
Final Evaluation Report
Early
November
National Regulatory Council meeting
Mid-November
20
Formal commencement – 1 January 2014
• Providers can apply for registration
• Existing providers will need to re-apply for registration
under the Housing Act 2003
• Registrations under the National Law will take place over
a 12-month period from 1 January 2014 (Phase 2). The
transition period will end 30 June 2015
21
QUESTIONS?
Transition of homelessness
programs to the Department of
Housing and Public Works
David Eades
Deputy Director-General
Housing Services
Transition of homelessness programs to
the Department of Housing and Public Works
• 1 July 2013 responsibility for homelessness transferred
• Machinery of Government (MOG) arrangements: active
discussion, negotiation and administrative arrangements
between the two departments
• Principles guiding work in the meantime:
–
–
–
–
Continuity of service delivery for vulnerable Queenslanders
Continuity of administration arrangements for service providers
Continuity of reporting arrangements
Continue efforts to roll out key priorities, eg CHART
Homelessness priorities
• Key projects – continuing
– Implementation of common homelessness
assessment and referral tool (CHART) and vacancy
capacity management system (VCMS) as early
systems for the new triage approach
– Conversion of service agreements to outputs
framework and consistency with Homelessness
Program Guidelines
– Evaluations of key National Partnership Agreement
on Homelessness initiatives
Homelessness priorities cont…
• Commence implementing Homelessness-to-Housing
Strategy:
– Three additional supported accommodation facilities
– Additional dwellings for Street to Home, families,
domestic and family violence, and youth
– Expand Homelessness Community Action Planning
– Establish Homelessness Action Group
– Realign /consolidate specialist homelessness
services
National Partnership Agreement on
Homelessness (NPAH)
• Extension of NPAH for 2013-14 agreed
• Commonwealth – indicating intent to develop holistic
national response
• Department will transition to delivering NPAH initiatives
• Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability
Services will continue to implement its key NPAH
initiatives - Youth Housing and Reintegration Service,
Safety Upgrades program and Young Adults Exiting the
Care of the State
Transfer of social housing
management to the
non-government sector
David Eades
Deputy Director-General
Housing Services
A new strategic approach
• Transfer 90% of the management of all governmentowned social housing to the non-government sector
by 2020
• Underpinned by the National Regulatory System
• Providers must be registered to receive government
funding for a social housing service
• A range of new opportunities likely to emerge for
community housing organisations in the coming
months and years
29
Draft transfer plan
• Draft transfer plan developed to meet the Housing
2020 commitment to transfer the management of
social housing dwellings to the non-government
sector
• Indicative only and subject to change as the transfer
rollout continues
30
Draft transfer plan cont…
• Embeds the Housing 2020
commitments for the transfer of
management in Logan, the Gold
and Sunshine Coasts and
Redcliffe commencing in 2013-14
• Based around geographical areas
managed by Housing Service
Centres
Draft transfer plan cont…
• Small scale transfers in rural and remote regions for
efficiency reasons and to allow some providers to
increase capacity
• 27 rural LGAs to be considered, including 11 areas
outside south-west Queensland where Council is the
only provider of social housing
• It is expected that the implementation of the NRS will
assist in building market capacity as the rollout
continues
32
Procurement strategy
• Procurement will be open, fair and transparent
• Underlying principle will be contestability to ensure value
for money and the provision of high quality social
housing services
• Providers will be required to deliver services that are
financially-sustainable, regionally based and integrated
• Continuing role for some small providers
33
Logan Renewal Initiative
• Seeking a suitable non-government entity to:
– manage approximately 5,000 public housing and
community housing tenancies and properties
– manage applications and
referrals to other housing
and human services
– deliver private rental
products
34
Logan Renewal Initiative cont…
• First large-scale, social housing outsourcing project to be
undertaken in Queensland
• Logan Renewal Board established to advise government
• Two-stage national open
tender process in progress
to identify a suitable nongovernment entity to
deliver the required
outcomes of the Initiative
35
Logan Renewal Initiative cont…
• Stage 1 Expression of interest
– a short-list of 3 proponents identified
• Stage 2 Request for Proposal
– in progress, but a single proponent suitable for
advancing directly to negotiations with the State not
identified to date
– more information will be provided to assist proponents
to refine their proposals
– outcome expected in first half of 2014
36
Future transfer projects
• Lessons learned from the Logan Renewal Initiative are
being used to inform future transfer initiatives
• Department currently planning the next transfers
37
New reporting arrangements
• Department’s role as informed purchaser and contract
manager
• Common program specifications
• Output and outcome focused approach for funding and
monitoring performance from 1 January 2014
• Increased flexibility for providers
• Reduced red tape
• Department will focus on service efficiency and quality
and value for money
38
Capacity building
• Department committed to building sector capability
• Training is available to assist organisations to build
capacity:
– Certificate IV in Social Housing
– Graduate Certificate in Social Science (Housing
Management and Policy)
– training to build National Regulatory System
readiness
• Department writing to all funded providers to provide
information about the regulatory and funding changes
• Further workshops and discussions with providers will
occur in relation to the indicative plan for transfer and
sector capability
39
Conclusion
• We all need to change the way we operate
• Department will work in partnership with our valued
service partners to deliver on the government’s
objectives
• Further regional meetings and workshops to be held
across the State in the coming months
40
QUESTIONS?
Thank you for attending
Please pick up a copy of both strategies
and handouts on your way out.
www.hpw.qld.gov.au/housing