AGY-6382 | Housing Appeals Committee

Full description

The Housing Appeals Committee (HAC) was established by the Minister for Housing in December 1994 and commenced operation in 1995. (1)

The HAC was an independent body that reviewed decisions made by social housing providers (FACS Housing Services (public housing), and Community housing providers in NSW). Committee Members were appointed by Cabinet, on the recommendation of the Minister. There were 14 Committee Members, including four Presiding Chairs who lead the Hearing proceedings and in consultation with the sitting Members and were also the decision makers. The role of the Committee was to provide an external review of the appealable social housing dispute matters that come to the HAC. Members came from a variety of professional backgrounds in legal, education, health, business and community based organisations. Members were also from diverse cultural backgrounds including from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds (CALD), including two Aboriginal Members in the team who in addition to other appeals, also sat in all appeals received from Aboriginal clients. The Committee were supported by a Secretariat team, who provided administrative and operational support and were the first point of contact for users of the HAC services. (2)

The NSW Social Housing External Appeals Policy Framework outlined the principles that underpinned the external appeals mechanism. Under this framework, social housing applicants or tenants were able to lodge an external appeal where they believed an incorrect decision had been made by a Housing Provider. As Housing Providers may have different internal policies affecting appeal decisions and processes, individual providers outlined what decisions were appealable in their internal policies. The HAC heard appeals on a range of decisions, for example, most social housing policy that determined eligibility or level of entitlement for a specific product or service, could be appealed to the HAC. The HAC also heard appeals about certain affordable housing decisions made by registered providers, such as decisions about entitlement, rent setting and ongoing eligibility. (3)

Endnotes
1. Housing Appeals Committee website Housing Appeals Committee Background, http://www.hac.nsw.gov.au/About+Us/Who+is+the+HAC/Housing+Appeals+Committee+background.htm, (accessed 24 March 2010).
2. Housing Appeals Committee, Annual Overview, 2019-2020, p.7.
3. Ibid. p. 8.