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Reposted by Abundant Housing Network Australia

YIMBY Melbourne @yimby.melbourne · 23/04/2026

Our own Jonathan O'Brien represented Abundant Housing Network Australia at the recent Commonwealth Inquiry into Productivity. Here he is talking about why our cities are the engines of Australia's economy:

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Reposted by Abundant Housing Network Australia

Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

We welcome this weekend’s Federal Budget announcement of a $2 billion local infrastructure fund to unlock more homes across the country. As one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities over the last couple of decades, Canberra must get its fair share of this huge federal investment.

The Commonwealth has made clear that this funding is tied to upzoning in well-located areas and fixing planning system bottlenecks. States and territories are on notice that they won’t get funding for infrastructure if they’re not allowing homes in the places that already have the infrastructure and create the highest social returns on investment.

Our current pipeline of planning reforms sets us up well to benefit from this fund. This announcement underscores the importance of getting our Missing Middle Housing Reforms done right, and being ambitious rather than timid in planning for housing around Light Rail Stage 2B and the Southern Gateway.

We look forward to seeing the details of the local infrastructure funding plan, and we call on the Commonwealth to work with the ACT Government to ensure Canberra gets the funding it deserves. The ACT should be rewarded for pursuing large-scale, universal zoning reforms, not short-changed due to the progress we are already making towards enabling housing supply.

While we expect a significant portion of the fund to go to works enabling greenfields development, including necessary suburban road infrastructure, the Commonwealth must also ensure this funding is available for infrastructure supporting urban infill, including active and public transport investments.

We also welcome the announcement of a number of other housing productivity measures, including free access to Australian Standards that are mandatory for construction. Cutting these unnecessary costs will make Missing Middle housing projects more viable, particularly for smaller-scale developers and contractors.

In the nation’s capital, the Commonwealth has a special role to play in housing policy as both a landowner and a regulator. We are pleased that recently the National Capital Authority has been putting forward significant proposals to deliver more housing in NCA Designated Areas. The NCA should work as closely as possible with the ACT Government to ensure that planning reforms and infrastructure delivery are coordinated across both territory and federal jurisdiction. We also call on the Commonwealth to finalise the negotiations on the CSIRO Ginninderra site as soon as possible.

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 01/05/2026

Housing must be at the core of the divestment of old defence land. AHNA advocates for transforming these underutilised assets into vibrant, high-density urban spaces rather than letting them deteriorate at high public cost.

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 29/01/2026

We urge the Commonwealth Government to follow the evidence and reduce the discount rate. The additional revenue recovered should be used to: → Fund a revitalised National Competition Policy, → Fund the construction of more public housing, and → Raise the rate.

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Reposted by Abundant Housing Network Australia

Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 02/11/2025

Very proud to see my friend and comrade, @howardfmaclean.bsky.social, named as a finalist for the 2026 ACT Young Australian of the Year, thanks to his work leading @greatercanberra.org.au! australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/h...

Canberra Times front page - "Faces of Inspiration", including Howard Maclean among other ACT nominees for the Australian of the Year awards

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 04/06/2025

The OECD tells Australia we need to fix our broken planning systems to get out of our housing crisis 👇

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Reposted by Abundant Housing Network Australia

Jonathan O'Brien @jonobri.com · 27/05/2025

One underrated positive change in the new govt structure is the positioning of housing directly within Treasury, rather than Social Services. This makes sense: housing is fundamental economic infrastructure. 🧵

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 04/05/2025

A re-elected Albanese Government can’t take a breather on housing. The crisis isn’t slowing down and the current policies won’t shift the dial. It must hit the ground running. That’s why we launched 'The Brick Book' — 6 big ideas for real reform.

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Reposted by Abundant Housing Network Australia

Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 22/04/2025

It's time for the federal government to step up and lead. We need more medium density housing. We need more social and public housing. We need more assistance for renters. Let's do it!

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Reposted by Abundant Housing Network Australia

Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 22/04/2025

And here he is with the @abundanthousing.org.au Brick Book!

Howard Maclean holding a copy of the AHNA Brick Book

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 15/04/2025

🧱 THE BRICK BOOK — A federal path to a nation that builds It's time for the Commonwealth to step up and shape how Australia uses its most precious asset: land. THE BRICK BOOK lays out 6 big ideas to help fix housing—and make Australia a nation that builds again. Thread 🧵

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 23/03/2025

The fundamentals of building don’t change when you cross borders—only regulations do. Electricity is the same in NSW or VIC. A national licensing scheme for electrical trades is common sense, helping fill skills shortages faster!

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 22/03/2025

Why are grocery prices in Australia so high? It’s not just inflation—it's about competition. The ACCC just dropped a key insight: simplifying planning laws can lower prices by letting more supermarkets compete. Here's what's happening 👇

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 04/02/2025

It's great to see the Prime Minister take leadership on making Australia a country that builds the homes that people need🏘️🏗️

"Years ago, there's a development in Marrickville right on the station called Revolution Apartments. It's in the old Marrickville RSL site. And I had a group of people come to see me, and they were totally hostile to the development. And I said to them, 'what better location is there for medium density?' I think it's probably six or seven stories high, and they got additional apartments allowed by having some affordable housing development in there. Importantly, they don't need a car space for every flat, because it's right on Marrickville station." - Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 03/12/2024

The Abundant Housing Network Australia welcomes the addition of housing construction workers to the core skills visa list, a necessary step toward building the 1.2 million well-located homes our country desperately needs.

AHNA welcomes the addition of housing construction workers to the core skills visa list, a necessary part of building the 1.2 million well-located homes our country desperately needs. We have been calling for this change since our September 2023 letter to Minister O'Neil, and are pleased to see the government finally take action, and actually treat this crisis like a crisis.

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Abundant Housing Network Australia @abundanthousing.org.au · 13/11/2024

Hello Bluesky! We're AHNA, a national alliance of local community activists fighting for better cities and abundant housing—more homes where people want to live—all over Australia.

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