Chapter Seven: Implementation and governance
Key points
- The Prime Minister’s Council on Homelessness will drive the reform agenda to reduce homelessness by 2020.
- The COAG Reform Council will monitor state and territory government performance against agreed high level performance indicators and report progress annually.
- To meet the goals and targets a long-term and sustained effort from all levels of government and from the business and community sectors is needed.
- The Social Inclusion Board, the Housing Ministers’ Conference and the Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Conference each have a role to play.
Communities across Australia are working hard every day to end homelessness for many people. These efforts are delivered and reported through different governance and accountability arrangements currently in place in each jurisdiction. While these arrangements may be useful for tracking performance at the state and territory level, they are too inconsistent to determine the progress being achieved nationally.
An effective framework of governance and accountability is critical for monitoring the implementation of the White Paper strategies and tracking performance at the national level. These new arrangements will bring together existing governance and accountability structures in different jurisdictions consistent with a national framework. Roles and responsibilities will be extended to join up the response.
Driving the reform agenda
The Prime Minister will appoint a Council on Homelessness to drive national reforms and guide the implementation of the White Paper. The Council, comprised of appropriately qualified people, will also regularly monitor implementation of the White Paper and progress towards the goals and targets over 12 years to 2020.
The Council will help drive the reforms set out in the White Paper and monitor the achievement of the targets by 2013 and 2020.
It will report annually to the Prime Minister on progress of the reforms set out in this White Paper.
The targets will be achieved by the long-term structural reform being undertaken through COAG and specific measures to be implemented by governments, such as those funded under the National Partnerships on Homelessness, Social Housing and Remote Indigenous Housing.
Achievement of these targets will also require cultural change – every Australian must see combating homelessness as their responsibility. As well as driving implementation of targeted measures, the Council must keep a national focus on reducing homelessness.
This White Paper sits within the Australian Government’s social inclusion agenda. The Australian Social Inclusion Board has endorsed principles to guide a socially inclusive approach which will assist the Council to drive the reforms in the White Paper and monitor the achievements.
Government-business partnership to reduce homelessness
It will not be possible to meet the goals to reduce homelessness without harnessing the efforts of the corporate and private sector. Charities working with people who are homeless receive much support from the business and philanthropic foundations. The Australian Government will establish the Bea Miles Foundation to work in partnership with business and corporate sectors to harness their efforts in reducing homelessness.
Council of Australian Governments Reform Council
The COAG Reform Council will monitor, analyse and report on outcomes under the new agreements, including those that impact on the implementation of the strategies in this White Paper. This role includes monitoring progress against the performance indicators agreed in the National Affordable Housing Agreement and the extent that they support the objectives of the national agreement and the Partnerships on Homelessness, Social Housing and Remote Indigenous Housing.
The Australian Government will agree implementation plans with the states and territories for the National Affordable Housing Agreement and the National Partnerships on Homelessness, Social Housing and Remote Indigenous Housing.
Implementation plans will set out how the objectives of the National Partnerships will be achieved. These plans will include timelines for achieving the performance benchmarks set out in the agreement and will be reviewed and updated as necessary. These plans will be in place in the first half of 2009. Reports on progress will be provided to the COAG Reform Council.
Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Conference and Housing Ministers’ Conference
The Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Conference and the Housing Ministers’ Conference will be responsible for the implementation of particular measures for reducing homelessness.
The Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Advisory Committee and the Housing Ministers’ Advisory Committee will support ministers across jurisdictions by developing a strategic framework aligned to the White Paper strategies. These committees will integrate their homelessness policy responses.
The current Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) Coordination and Development Committee, which reports to the Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Advisory Committee, was established to strategically manage SAAP. Membership consists of representatives from the Australian and state and territory governments. The role of the SAAP Coordination and Development Committee will change when the new COAG arrangements are put in place in 2009.
The new committee will drive and monitor the service system changes being developed to better connect and integrate the homelessness service system. Membership will broaden to include representatives from the homelessness, housing, health, employment, disability and income support sectors. Mainstream service responses to homelessness must be captured and endorsed as part of the integrated homelessness service system.
Monitoring progress within individual jurisdictions
In most jurisdictions, ministerial or cross-government coordinating committee structures are in place already. Aligning the focus of these committees with national goals and targets, performance indicators, benchmarks and baseline data and monitoring their progress will ensure that national goals are met.
State and territory homelessness plans can be used to drive homelessness service integration reforms at the local level. States and territories may also endorse a number of regional homelessness action plans to better target and deliver homeless service reforms at this level. The success of local and regional initiatives will be critical in achieving the national targets to reduce homelessness.
Implement new legislation to ensure people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness receive quality services
The Supported Accommodation Assistance Act 1994 sets out important principles and has guided the response to homelessness in Australia since first legislated in 1985. A number of submissions to the Green Paper made suggestions for strengthening the legislation or bringing it up to date.
The establishment of the National Affordable Housing Agreement provides an opportunity to reconsider the legislative framework for providing services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. As mentioned in Chapter Four the Australian Government will work with specialist homelessness services and state and territory governments to amend the Supported Accommodation Assistance legislation and will ensure people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness receive quality services and adequate support. These quality standards could be based on those in the current Disability Services Act 1986, which guide services to be innovative and focused on achieving positive outcomes for people with disabilities.
Where we will start
- Appoint the Prime Minister’s Council on Homelessness to drive the reforms set out in the White Paper and monitor its implementation and progress over 12 years to 2020.
- Establish the Bea Miles Foundation to channel funding, in kind support and sponsor innovation and research to support the work of governments and the not-for-profit sector in combating homelessness.
- Finalise implementation plans for the National Affordable Housing Agreement and the National Partnerships on Homelessness, Social Housing and Remote Indigenous Housing in the first half of 2009.
- Implement new legislation to ensure people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness receive quality services and adequate support to meet their needs.