Australian Capital Territory
Housing Assistance rental Bonds Housing Assistance Program 2017 (No 1)
Disallowable Instrument DI2017-15
made under the  
Housing Assistance Act 2007, s 19 (1) (Approved housing assistance programs)

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The Minister may approve a housing assistance program.

The objective of this program is to provide rental bonds assistance to eligible applicants who wish to access private rental accommodation in the ACT. New provisions have been added to allow for additional financial assistance to be provided to eligible applicants affected by family violence as part of the ACT Government’s $21.42 million Safer Families package. 

The Safer Families package, which is aimed at driving the next phase of reform in whole-of-government, community-backed responses to violence against women and children, reflects the ACT Government’s commitment to the Second Implementation Plan for the ACT Prevention of Violence against Women and Children Strategy 2011‑2017 the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (2010‑2022).

Following is an outline of the modifications to the former program:

Clause	Provision	
4	New definition provided for family violence, as outlined in s 8 of the Family Violence Act 2016. 	
7 (7) (a)	A new clause 7 (7) (a) has been added to allow the housing commissioner to provide a non-repayable grant of up to $2,000 to successful applicants where the applicant and/or the applicant’s children have been subject to family violence and the applicant enters into a tenancy agreement to leave this violence. The purpose of this provision is to further assist any applicant affected by family violence to find rental accommodation and meet the short term needs of themselves and their children.