Majority of councils vote against mandatory affordable housing in development approvals

Brief: The Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly, held in Canberra earlier this month, has voted down a motion that would have made it mandatory for development approvals to include affordable housing according to Government News.

Calling for a national response to housing issues involving all levels of government, the motion put forward by Melbourne’s Darebin City Council included “mandatory controls in planning schemes in the form of inclusionary zoning to require affordable housing contributions as part of private development”.

It was defeated 116 votes to 85 after a failed attempt to remove the word “mandatory”.