Reforms cut red tape to assist community housing providers

• Cook Government delivers more housing reforms during Homelessness Week 2024
• Prequalification scheme to support the community housing sector and reduce red tape
• Streamlined procurement processes to increase housing supply and reduce unnecessary delays

To mark the beginning of Homelessness Week 2024, the Cook Labor Government has announced a new process to cut more red tape for community housing providers (CHPs) to boost delivery of new social and affordable housing across Western Australia.

The Community Housing Prequalification Scheme being introduced by the Department of Communities will support and promote growth in the community housing sector by reducing procurement times and costs, allowing CHPs to prequalify for predetermined categories of developments.

CHPs will be allocated to prequalification categories following an assessment of the mandatory requirements and statements of interest.

The scheme is also available to other housing and lands agencies in Development WA and the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. For more information visit: www.communities.wa.gov.au/CHOPrequal

The scheme is non-mandatory and CHPs will be free to choose to apply to be on the Scheme, while Government departments can choose whether to utilise CHPs from the scheme or undertake a traditional procurement process for individual opportunities.

The State Government has also reformed WA's planning system to become the best in the nation by cutting unnecessary red tape to accelerate the delivery of housing and boosted homelessness services across the State.

These planning reforms make it easier for CHPs to deliver social and affordable housing projects, through changes to the eligibility criteria for the development assessment panel process. A CHP can now opt into the development assessment panel pathway regardless of the project size and value.

The State Government has boosted homelessness services with nearly an additional $140 million in homelessness initiatives in 2024 alone, including $70.2 million in the current State Budget, to ensure continuation of more than 120 critical homelessness services across Western Australia.

Comments attributed to Housing Minister John Carey:

"The Cook Labor Government continues to lead the nation in cutting unnecessary red tape to accelerate the delivery of housing in Western Australia.

"The Community Housing Prequalification Scheme will facilitate development opportunities for CHPs through efficient, effective and flexible procurement process.

"The scheme will reduce the cost and time burden of procurement for CHPs, reduce or remove EOI tender requirements, and allow them to prequalify for specific categories of development, with the aim of boosting social and affordable housing across the State."