Australia's housing system no longer serves its original social purpose
Article 25 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights affirms the right to adequate housing. Yet housing in Australia has evolved to store wealth rather than provide secure, affordable shelter across generations.
The crisis runs deeper than supply.
Land is treated as an appreciating asset, not shared infrastructure
Speculative land value drives up housing costs before a single home is built. The system rewards holding, not housing.
The dominant development model relies on heavy borrowing and short-term investor returns
Short development cycles and high return expectations make affordability a constraint, not a goal. Capital isn't structured for long-term outcomes.
Public and community land remains under-activated
Councils, churches and community trusts hold significant land. Without a coordinated delivery model, it sits dormant or is sold to the highest bidder.
Moderate income households are priced out of both home ownership and secure rental housing
Essential workers, young families and single-income households are locked out. The gap between wages and housing costs continues to widen.
Housing as essential infrastructure
Australia does not lack land, capital or construction capability. It lacks a coordinated structure that embeds affordability from the beginning and protects it over time.
A25 provides that structure — operating between landowners, developers and capital partners to align incentives around permanence rather than escalation.
Affordable housing delivered through three distinct pathways — each grounded in transparent costs, disciplined margins and long-term stewardship.
Every layer of project finance is designed and aligned — bond-funded senior capital, charity-backed mezzanine and bridging finance, and first-loss protection. Permanent affordability is embedded in the financial structure from day one.
A binding covenant framework ensures affordability lasts. Housing costs are capped at 30% of household income, homes are allocated by lottery rather than price, and every project is independently certified and monitored over time.
Seed funding for catalytic impact
Seed capital funds the legal, financial and governance infrastructure that makes enduring affordability possible at scale.
As projects stabilise and capital is repaid, the charitable pool is replenished — recycled, redeployed and multiplied across successive housing projects. A single contribution unlocks five to ten times its value in private finance.
