Senator David Pocock Introduces Bill to Boost Affordable Housing on Commonwealth Land

Canberra, Australia | 2 July 2026

ACT Independent Senator David Pocock has introduced a private senator’s bill aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing by requiring residential developments on Commonwealth-owned land to include affordable housing.

The proposed legislation would make it mandatory for any residential development on federal government land sold or leased to private entities to allocate a portion of the project to affordable housing. The measure would apply to major Commonwealth land transactions, including the planned $3 billion sale of 67 surplus Defence sites across Australia and the proposed sale of the CSIRO Ginninderra site in the ACT.

While acknowledging the Albanese Government’s investment in housing through initiatives such as the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) and broader housing reforms, Senator Pocock said current efforts remain insufficient to address Australia’s growing housing shortage.

“The job has only started on addressing housing in Australia, and there’s a lot of anxiety around what happens once HAFF round three concludes,” Senator Pocock said.

He noted that Australia faces an estimated shortfall of approximately 640,000 social and affordable homes, arguing that significantly greater investment is needed to meet demand.

Drawing international comparisons, Senator Pocock pointed to housing initiatives in the United Kingdom and Canada, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s commitment to deliver the largest council house-building program in the UK’s post-war era and Canada’s National Housing Strategy, which is investing more than C$82 billion in housing.

“We need the Australian Government to also go big,” he said.

Under the proposed bill, 30 per cent of residential developments on Commonwealth land would, by default, be dedicated to affordable housing. The legislation also allows the proportion to be adjusted through regulations to accommodate varying site characteristics and market conditions.

The bill defines affordable housing rents as the lower of:

• 75 per cent of the market rent for the dwelling; or
• 30 per cent of the tenant household’s income.

Eligibility would be restricted to households with incomes below a prescribed threshold, determined with reference to the median household income for the relevant area.

The legislation also includes compliance and enforcement provisions, with penalties for developers who fail to meet the affordable housing requirements. Exemptions would apply to certain sites, including those that are too small, contaminated, located in areas with low housing demand, or otherwise unsuitable for residential development.

If passed, the bill would establish a national framework to ensure Commonwealth-owned land contributes more directly to increasing Australia’s supply of affordable housing, addressing one of the country’s most pressing social and economic challenges.

: Senator David Pocock