Is Australia’s housing crisis self-inflicted? If so, then we need a series of reforms to reverse it
The best long-term solution to the structural problems of the rental crisis is to build more public and/or affordable housing.

Make renting more Sustainable. Increase rent assistance or look at rental caps, similar to countries in Europe and some US states, long term tenancy agreements with incentives for all parties to the agreement.

Build to Rent
The Build to Rent property sector is growing in Australia – this new class of housing is focused on providing high quality purpose designed and built rental stock, creating an additional housing choice for Australian renters with greater security and service.

Build to Rent developments are typically owned by institutional investors for the long term and the owner could be the developer/ongoing building manager. The format provides tenants with the flexibility of renting with the security of home ownership.

Build-to-Rent developments are usually large-scale residential properties specifically designed, built and managed for long-term ownership and rental.

Social Housing
In the 40 years between 1981 and 2021 the percentage of all Australian households living in social housing (i.e. state owned and managed public housing or community managed housing) has ranged from 4.9 per cent in 1981 to 3.8 per cent in 2021. Such a drop in the proportion of social housing raises the question of has Australia achieved the balance right, and also just what is the right level of social housing for Australia?

In 2018 Statistics Canada said 628,700 Canadian households, more than one in ten renter households nationally (13.5% of 4,652,500), were living in social and affordable housing.
In New Zealand, as of 30 June 2021, there were 74,337 public housing households. This equates to 4.0% of households living in social housing.

In England (in 2018) 17% of households (3.9 million) lived in social housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes that 1.2 million households live in public housing, which is 0.98 per cent of all housing.

From the slopes of the Central Tablelands out to the western flats, here you’ll find delicious produce, excellent wine and fascinating stories aplenty.

There’s also the lively student city of Bathurst, with its impressive heritage and need for speed when it comes to car racing. Discover the captivating stories of Cowra, once the site of a daring escape by Japanese prisoners of war.

Located on the banks of the Macquarie River just three hours’ drive west of Sydney, Bathurst is the site of Australia’s oldest inland European settlement. Now a vibrant country city with a rich cultural heritage, Bathurst manages to combine rural, manufacturing and education industries with a lifestyle rich in sport, art and tourism facilities. Home to one of the great motor racing circuits in the world, Mount Panorama, Bathurst is synonymous with motorsport.

Agri-tourism in the form of low-key farm stays and bed and breakfast establishments can provide an alternative income stream of agricultural producers while also educating the community about the activities that occur on farm.

CfAT was established in Alice Springs in 1980 to research, design, develop and teach appropriate technologies and deliver technical training to Indigenous people living in remote communities. The organisation works towards sustainable and enterprising communities by delivering appropriate fit-for-purpose technology, including practical project design, technical innovation, infrastructure, and training services.

CORE works with members and stakeholders on innovative solutions to challenging soil related issues. From enhancing agricultural soils to treating complex soil contamination issues, CORE develops solutions using methods and technologies involving bio-products tailor-made for the situation.

Charles Darwin University is an Australian public university with a main campus in Darwin and eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. It was established in 2003 after the merger of Northern Territory University, the Menzies School of Health Research, and Centralian College.

Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explorer who made expeditions into regional New South Wales and South Australia.

Chile’s mining industry is at a crossroads. Mining has led the country towards greater levels of wealth and prosperity and is a large part of the reason why Chile is well on its way to being considered as an advanced economy.
Chile is, by far, the world’s dominant producer of copper ore but this position should not be taken for granted. Rising costs, declining productivity and rising social and regulatory pressure in the areas of community engagement and environmental sustainability are hampering the sector’s profitability and ability to remain globally competitive.
The industry can choose to continue on its current path and address these challenges through short-term solutions that provide incremental improvements. Alternatively, it can identify the opportunities for step change innovation within the changing global landscape in order to forge a new upward trajectory for economic growth for both the industry and the nation.

A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.
There has been considerable concern in Australia in recent years about recycling efforts, and what happens to our products once they are recycled. This was brought into focus by China's decision to ban the import of foreign waste from January 2018
Australia exports recyclable material to over 100 countries. The three main categories of which are metals, paper and cardboard, and plastics. In 2016–17 Australia exported some 4.23 mega tonnes of recycled materials, a considerable amount of which went to China. Therefore, the decision made by China to ban the import of foreign waste has a direct impact on recycling and waste management practices in Australia.
So where do we go from here?
Towards a circular economy.
The objective of a circular economy is to maximise value at each point in a product's life. A circular economy seeks to close industrial loops and to turn outputs from one manufacturer into inputs for another and, in doing so, reduce the consumption of virgin materials and the generation of waste.
Some of the essential elements necessary for a circular economy are to:
• design and manufacture products that are made from recycled materials (rather than virgin resources), that can be repaired and/or recycled back into the system;
• establish repair centres as part of this design and manufacture process, so that items can be repaired;
• establish collection systems so that items unable to be repaired are collected, rather than disposed of in landfill;
• ensure that there is adequate and appropriate recycling facility infrastructure in place, taking into account location and sorting capacity; and
• encourage manufacturers to purchase recycled materials, thereby closing the production loop.
There are two primary business models under the circular economy - those that foster reuse and extend the life of a product through repair, remanufacture, upgrades and retrofits, and those that turn old goods at the end of their service life into as-new resources by recycling the materials they contain.

Our Circular Economy goals are to help with decontaminating waste through Case Studies from our Pilots to prove systems and innovations that help change habits in the workplace which will then ripple out to the home, while creating new industries, jobs and entrepreneurship in our region.

Reef Catchments is the Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisation for the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region. We facilitate change and work for long-term solutions to sustain, protect, and improve our region’s natural resources and environment, both now and into the future.

What is Circular Economy?
We think it’s important to recognise that circular economy initiatives fall under the ‘sustainability’ umbrella, but not all sustainability initiatives are circular.

For the purpose of the Queensland Circular Economy (Industry-Research) program, initiatives supported should fit within the Queensland Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy’s definition of the circular economy where: products and materials keep circulating within the economy at their highest value for as long as possible, through reuse, recycling, remanufacturing, delivering products as services, and sharing. Also for inclusion are initiatives which address avoiding the waste of products and materials.

In a practical sense that means the principal aim of initiatives or proposals will be around addressing waste and retaining value of materials and products; and any water and energy efficiency benefits will be seen as a bonus.

We are looking for those initiatives that will contribute to Queensland being a zero-waste society by reducing material and products going to landfill.

Gulf Savannah NRM is a natural resource management organisation delivering projects in Queensland's Northern Gulf region to support sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and healthy landscapes and waterways.

Queenslanders are taking strong action on climate change. We have set bold but achievable targets for reducing our emissions while creating jobs.
We will deliver:

50% renewable energy target by 2030
30% emissions reduction below 2005 levels by 2030
zero net emissions by 2050.
Queensland has already achieved 20% of our renewable energy target by 2020.

We are almost two-thirds to reaching our 2030 emissions reduction target having reduced emissions by 19% since 2005 based on the latest 2020 data.

The Hunter is one of NSW’s most popular destinations, located just two hours’ drive north of Sydney. Newcastle, Maitland and Lake Macquarie are the major cities, surrounded by the regional centres, which include Cessnock, Muswellbrook, Port Stephens, Scone, Singleton and Taree.

The Hunter features coastal and valley landscapes, internationally renowned wine production, important natural areas, both urban and rural lifestyles and extensive mining resources. Together with its global companies, these features make the Hunter an attractive place to work, live and play.

The region is also home to a multi-million dollar thoroughbred horse breeding industry, world-class wineries and national parks, and its river estuaries are the largest oyster producers in the state.

The Port of Newcastle is the largest coal export port in the world, with its overall exports valued at almost $18.5 billion in 2016-17.

Williamtown RAAF base sits at the heart of the region’s defence sector and is supported by a hub of important defence and aerospace companies. It is co-located with the Newcastle Airport, currently servicing 1.2 million passengers annually.

The advanced manufacturing sector in the Hunter-based industries continues to develop new products and processes in many traditional industries including medical, energy, food, wine and supply chains using smart technologies.

The Committee for the Hunter provides a unified voice to advance the Hunter. We identify long-term strategic goals and champion these on behalf of the region.

The Committee is an independent and non-partisan organisation bringing together community leaders with the common goal of driving growth, prosperity and diversity in the Hunter.

We see a continued future for the Hunter as Australia’s leading regional economy and share a vision for enhancing the economic, social, cultural, environmental and creative assets of the region.

Reflecting insights of the long-standing Committee for Cities and Regions network, the Committee for the Hunter brings together leaders from across the community who are committed to reaching agreement across disparate interests and advocating for the region as a whole.

The national and international evidence is clear: cities and regions where leaders collaborate with a shared vision and an agreed set of priorities attract major public and private investment, delivering social and economic returns for all members of the community.

Our advocacy and thought leadership is evidence-based, focusing on social and economic capacity across the entire region in order to strengthen the Hunter as a place to live, work, visit and invest.

Climate-KIC Australia orchestrates collaborative efforts to deliver connected and coordinated climate action. We work across multiple levers of change, including technology, business models, markets, finance and investment, policy and regulation, knowledge and skills, organisational culture and ways of working.

The CRCNA brings together industry, universities and other research bodies, regional development organisations, all northern jurisdictions and international partners in a collaborative industry-led R&D venture to assist businesses, governments and researchers identify opportunities for business and growth in the north to deliver an evidence-base of information to support and inform the developing northern Australia agenda for the benefit of all Australians and achieve the following :
1. De-risk the Northern Australian investment landscape – broker strategic discussions with relevant decision-makers and stakeholders and guide a coordinated approach that informs development planning and investment decision making across jurisdictions.
2. Deliver a coordinated approach to sector development – support strategic information and knowledge-building which helps frame and understand the key challenges and opportunities facing the north’s key agricultural sectors, health service sectors, infrastructure, and regional development.
3. Inform appropriate supply chain development and infrastructure planning across Northern Australia – deliver an evidence base which helps prioritise supply chain and infrastructure investment to provide timely access to high-value international and domestic markets.
4. Deliver research, development, and extension solutions with impact – leverage grass-roots level RD&E effort, capacity and knowledge of northern Australia to ensure solutions are implemented in a meaningful way and to the benefit of all Australians.
5. Build the strategic research capacity and develop the workforce skills of Northern Australians - in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture, food, health service delivery and Traditional Owner-led business development (in agriculture, aquaculture, food and health service/ models of delivery).