Parliamentary Friends of Co-operatives and Mutuals Affordable Housing Policy Roundtable in Canberra

Tim Riley and Tim Richardson outside federal parliament Australia

In late 2023, we were invited to present at the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) and the Parliamentary Friends of Co-operatives and Mutuals Affordable Housing Policy Roundtable in Canberra.

The event sought to raise the profile of the good work done by the sector across the housing spectrum.

The Roundtable featured presentations from a number of experts from the co-operative housing sector. They explained how, from community-led rental housing co-operatives to market-based co-op models, the co-operative housing sector is mobilising resources and expertise to provide viable alternatives to traditional housing models. These initiatives emphasise the importance of empowering communities, fostering collaboration, and reimagining the relationship between residents, developers and policymakers.

You can download all the presentations including ours here.

We presented on market-based co-op models including our "terminating co-operative" group build model inspired by the German Baugruppe concept and presented the findings of our report, How Feasible is a New Generation of Housing Co-operatives in Australia?, which was supported by the BCCM’s The Bunya Fund.

The study, which focused on developing an affordable model, shows promising results. To unlock affordability, the report advocates for ground leases, separating building ownership from land ownership. Members would buy into the co-op, which owns and manages the building, while leasing the land for around 50 years. Advantages include the ability to pay commercial ground leases for land, facilitating more affordable housing options in desirable locations.

To support these models to grow, governments could greatly assist by providing these community led projects:

  1. access to low-margin investment debt,
  2. government guarantees for private equity investment and
  3. seed funding for an umbrella organisation.

These initiatives offer a new pathway to address housing affordability and promote inclusive communities.

Tim Riley speaking at BCCM federal parliament housing roundtable

 

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