title: Social & Affordable Housing — Policy Framework and Action Plan council: ballarat state: vic category: strategy classification: MAJOR status: adopted last_compiled: 2026-04-13 source_docs:
- social-and-affordable-housing-action-plan-july-2024.txt
- housing-strategy-2041.txt
- ballarat-strategy-2040.txt
- affordable-housing-position-statement-final-2022.txt
Social & Affordable Housing — Policy Framework and Action Plan
Ballarat’s affordable housing crisis is quantified but not yet matched by binding planning mechanisms. The Social and Affordable Housing Action Plan (July 2024) sets out 35 actions across six themes but contains no dwelling targets, no percentage requirements for new developments, and no dollar commitments. It operates through facilitation, advocacy, and investigation — not through mandatory inclusionary zoning or direct investment at scale. The gap between the identified need (1,360–8,110 social housing dwellings depending on scenario and timeframe) and the policy response (an action plan with no targets) is the defining tension in Ballarat’s affordable housing landscape.
Background
The Ballarat Strategy 2040 (2015) identified the social housing gap as between 1,360 and 3,850 dwellings, based on a need of 8.5%–15% of total dwelling stock compared to the actual 4.9% (1,890 dwellings at the 2011 Census). If no additional social housing were built, the gap was projected to grow to between 3,770 and 8,110 dwellings by 2040. (Source: ballarat-strategy-2040.txt)
The SGS Housing Needs Analysis (2023) confirmed affordability pressures: 50% of movers found it difficult to find an affordable home, and 28% stated they would likely move away from Ballarat. Group households — often a proxy for affordability-driven sharing — are the fastest-growing household type at 2.9% AAGR. (Source: ballarats-future-housing-2021-2041-housing-needs-analysis-sgs-2023.txt)
The policy response has evolved through three documents:
- Affordable Housing Position Statement (2022) — established Council’s policy stance
- Diverse and Affordable Housing Discussion Paper (2023) — community consultation on options
- Social and Affordable Housing Action Plan (July 2024) — the adopted action plan
(Source: social-and-affordable-housing-action-plan-july-2024.txt; affordable-housing-position-statement-final-2022.txt)
Analysis
What the Action Plan Does — and Does Not — Commit To
The Action Plan is structured around three tiers of council influence (Source: social-and-affordable-housing-action-plan-july-2024.txt):
| Tier | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Facilitating | Partnerships, education, relationship building | Connect with community housing providers; staff training |
| 2. Facilitating supply | Advocacy, policy, strategy | Consider inclusionary zoning; review planning controls |
| 3. Investing | Direct investment of ratepayer funds and assets including land | Audit council-owned land; explore feasibility of contributing sites |
The critical word across all three tiers is “explore”, “investigate”, “consider”, or “advocate”. The plan does not commit to:
- A target number of affordable dwellings
- A percentage of new development to be affordable
- A dollar value of council investment
- A timeline for delivering specific housing outcomes
- Mandatory inclusionary zoning in any zone or precinct
This is not a criticism of council intent — Victoria’s planning framework makes it difficult for local government to mandate affordable housing without state-level reform. The MAV advocacy program (which Council supports) seeks improved development contribution mechanisms and expanded state/federal expenditure. But the practical effect is that Ballarat’s affordable housing response operates entirely within the voluntary and advocacy space.
The 35 Actions — Classified by Measurability
Of the 35 actions in the plan, they can be classified by whether they produce a measurable housing outcome:
Actions that could directly produce dwellings (7 actions):
- 1.1–1.6: Land audits and site feasibility (Immediate to Short term) — auditing council-owned, state-owned, and community-owned land, rating sites by feasibility, and presenting to housing providers. These are preconditions for site contributions but do not commit to contributing any site.
- 2.2: Develop conditions under which Council may invest land or capital (Immediate/Ongoing) — establishes a framework but does not commit investment.
Actions that create policy settings (8 actions):
- 2.1: Progress development of the Ballarat Housing Strategy (Immediate) — completed with adoption of Housing Strategy 2041
- 2.3: Consider inclusionary zoning in greenfield or urban renewal contexts (Short/Ongoing) — the single most consequential action, but framed as “consideration” not implementation
- 2.4: Consult with developer community on housing crisis impacts (Immediate/Ongoing)
- 2.5: Staff training on affordable housing provisions (Short)
- 2.6: Explore financial feasibility of a 2-year Housing Solutions Broker officer role (Immediate)
- 3.5: Update Position Statements bi-annually (Ongoing)
Actions that are advocacy or investigation (20 actions):
- 5.1: MAV advocacy for structural reforms (Immediate/Ongoing) — including retention of Windfall Tax revenue within municipalities, expanded state/federal expenditure on community housing
- 5.2: Advocate for diverse affordable housing projects for priority groups (Immediate/Ongoing)
- 6.1–6.11: Further investigation actions including vacant property enumeration, short-stay accommodation impacts, alternative housing models (cohousing, Build to Rent, 3D printing), feasibility of reduced rates for Community Housing Providers
(Source: social-and-affordable-housing-action-plan-july-2024.txt)
Progress Tracking
The plan commits to bi-annual progress review but does not specify what metrics will be reported, what constitutes success, or what triggers escalation from Tier 1 (facilitating) to Tier 3 (investing). Without quantitative targets, progress reporting will necessarily be activity-based (“we held a consultation”) rather than outcome-based (“we delivered 50 affordable dwellings”).
The Inclusionary Zoning Question
Action 2.3 — “Identify opportunities including consideration of inclusionary zoning in greenfield or urban renewal contexts” — is the highest-impact action in the plan. Mandatory inclusionary zoning in growth areas would require a specified percentage of new lots or dwellings to be sold or leased at below-market rates. In Victoria, the principal mechanism is a Section 173 agreement under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, negotiated through the planning permit or PSP process.
The growth-areas-framework-plan (August 2024) requires out-of-sequence development proponents to “demonstrate provision for social and affordable housing” — but this is an eligibility criterion for out-of-sequence applications, not a universal requirement. The VPA’s Ballarat North PSP process has commissioned an Affordable Housing Needs Assessment (VPA, July 2025), signalling that inclusionary zoning may be tested in the Northern PSP first. (Source: growth-areas-framework-plan-western-and-north-western-growth-areas_august-2024.txt; vpa-ballarat-north-psp-affordable-housing-needs-assessment-vpa-july-2025.txt)
The Scale of the Problem
Mapping the identified need against the policy response:
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Social housing stock (2011) | 1,890 dwellings (4.9% of stock) | Ballarat Strategy 2040 |
| Social housing gap (2015, low estimate) | 1,360 dwellings | Ballarat Strategy 2040 |
| Social housing gap (2015, high estimate) | 3,850 dwellings | Ballarat Strategy 2040 |
| Projected gap by 2040 if no action (low) | 3,770 dwellings | Ballarat Strategy 2040 |
| Projected gap by 2040 if no action (high) | 8,110 dwellings | Ballarat Strategy 2040 |
| Total additional dwellings needed by 2041 | 28,961 | Housing Strategy 2041 |
| Affordable housing target in Action Plan | None specified | Action Plan 2024 |
| Affordable housing target in Housing Strategy | None specified | Housing Strategy 2041 |
| Affordable housing target in Growth Areas FP | None specified (out-of-sequence only) | GAFP 2024 |
The Housing Strategy 2041 notes that “the provision of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments and townhouses” should be encouraged in developments of 10 or more dwellings, but this is a housing diversity direction, not an affordability requirement. (Source: housing-strategy-2041.txt)
Commonwealth Games Legacy Housing
The Action Plan references working with Homes Victoria to “ensure Commonwealth Games housing commitments delivered in Ballarat” (Action 4.1). The 2026 Commonwealth Games (subsequently cancelled) had included commitments for athlete village housing to be converted to social and affordable housing. The cancellation of the Games in July 2023 created uncertainty about whether the housing legacy commitments would be honoured. The Action Plan frames this as an ongoing advocacy item. (Source: social-and-affordable-housing-action-plan-july-2024.txt)
Priority Cohorts
The Action Plan identifies priority populations for affordable housing advocacy (Source: social-and-affordable-housing-action-plan-july-2024.txt):
- Women and children experiencing family violence
- First Nations people
- Women over 50
- People experiencing mental health issues
- People experiencing chronic homelessness
- Young people
- LGBTQIA+ communities
- Culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- People with disabilities
- Socio-economically disadvantaged people
Current Status
The Action Plan was adopted in July 2024. As of early 2026:
- Land audits (Actions 1.1–1.4) — timeframe was “Immediate” (by July 2025). No public reporting on completion.
- Housing Solutions Broker (Action 2.6) — to be explored for financial feasibility. No public announcement of the role being created.
- Inclusionary zoning (Action 2.3) — no planning scheme amendment proposed. The VPA’s Northern PSP affordable housing needs assessment (July 2025) may pilot inclusionary provisions.
- Bi-annual progress review — first review would have been due approximately January 2025. No public report identified in the corpus.
The housing-strategy-2041 was adopted concurrently but the planning scheme amendment to implement it has not been gazetted.
Dependencies
- Blocks: Inclusionary zoning provisions in future PSPs; affordable housing requirements in urban renewal precinct plans
- Blocked by: State-level planning reform (MAV advocacy for mandatory inclusionary zoning mechanisms); Housing Strategy planning scheme amendment (not commenced); site audits (may or may not be complete)
- Informed by: Ballarat Strategy 2040 social housing gap analysis; SGS Housing Needs Analysis 2023; Diverse and Affordable Housing Discussion Paper 2023
- Implements: housing-strategy-2041 Outcome 3 (housing choice in accessible locations); Victoria’s Housing Statement affordable housing directions
- Conflicts with: The absence of mandatory mechanisms means delivery depends entirely on voluntary developer contributions, which are unlikely to materially close a gap measured in thousands of dwellings
Cross-Jurisdictional Links
- Homes Victoria — state government housing authority responsible for public housing stock and social housing investment. The Commonwealth Games legacy housing is a shared commitment.
- Aboriginal Housing Victoria — MOU proposed (Action 4.4, Short term) for culturally appropriate housing delivery
- Central Highlands Homelessness Alliance — regional coordination body for homelessness services
- MAV (Municipal Association of Victoria) — leading advocacy for structural reform to affordable housing planning mechanisms
Gaps in This Analysis
- The Diverse and Affordable Housing Discussion Paper (2023) is not in the corpus — this document likely contains the community consultation data and options analysis that informed the Action Plan
- Current social housing stock numbers (post-2011 Census) are not available in the corpus; the 2021 Census data would provide a more current baseline
- No progress reporting on the Action Plan’s 35 actions has been identified in the corpus — the first bi-annual review (due ~January 2025) may exist but is not available
- The VPA Ballarat North PSP Affordable Housing Needs Assessment (July 2025) is in the corpus but was not the focus of this analysis — see ballarat-north-psp for coverage