The Australian’s first legal challenge to WA’s housing affordability policy

Lawyers for former WA Chief Justice Ian Gidley, a former head of the Human Rights Commission, have challenged the Government’s Housing Affordability Guarantee in a court case over WA’s proposed changes to its public housing policy.

Key points:Lawyers for former Chief Justice Gidleys, who retired in February, have brought a court action against WA’s controversial Housing Affortability Guaranteed (HAG)A lawyer for former chief justice, Ian Giddings, says the Government has “put us in the cross hairs”The case is a landmark in the fight to preserve public housing in the state.

In a statement, Mr Gidders said the legal challenge would “put WA’s HAG in the front line of the most significant public housing issues facing WA”.

“In the meantime, we will continue to push the Government to take immediate action to ensure public housing affordability in WA is maintained,” he said.

“We hope to win this case and, if successful, ensure the HAG remains the only viable option to ensure affordable housing for all people in WA.”

Mr Giddes, who is the head of a group called WA Lawyers for the People, is challenging WA’s Housing Supply Plan (HSP), which would require developers to sell off existing homes and provide them with public housing vouchers.

He said the HSP would result in a “surge in homelessness and homelessness-related deaths” in WA, particularly in inner-city areas.

The Government has said the plan is designed to provide housing for those in WA’s most vulnerable areas.

It is not clear whether any of the proposed changes would be allowed to go ahead under the current legal challenge.

The plan will see the sale of up to $2.5 billion of public housing properties across WA.

Mr Gidgers said he believed the Government was “putting us in front of the line of fire” by attempting to amend the plan to make the purchase of public homes more difficult.

“If they were to implement the HMP without any modification to the HCP, then we could have a massive spike in homelessness in WA,” he added.

“This will be a direct hit to the people who live in these areas, and the people whose livelihoods depend on public housing.”

He said WA was one of Australia’s poorest states and faced “severe challenges” in its housing affordability program.

“The Government must do more to ensure that the HPS is implemented and it is not just about the wealthy landowners who can purchase their way into WA’s highest land values,” he wrote in a statement.

“There are real and pressing needs to be addressed in the community to ensure people have access to decent housing.”

The case will be heard in the Supreme Court of WA in early December.

Topics:law-crime-and-justice,housing-industry,housing,government-and,courts-and/or-trials,courthouses-and—courts,courthouse-and-“council”,courtsman-of-wa,wa