The short answer
Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) Bill 2026: quarterly reporting explained
The Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) Bill 2026 is a private senator's bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Andrew Bragg (New South Wales) on 19 August 2026. It would amend the Housing Australia Act 2018 to require Housing Australia to prepare and give the Minister a quarterly report on its operations, covering spending across each program or measure, the number of projects receiving financial assistance, the cost per dwelling, spending on administration and consultants, guarantees issued broken down by stream and recipient income decile, and summarised board minutes. As of 21 August 2026 the bill was before the Senate and had not been enacted.
This is a federal system guide. State constitutions, parliaments and local-government laws can allocate comparable functions differently.
The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.
Evidence review
What the bill would do
The bill would amend the Housing Australia Act 2018 to create a quarterly reporting function for Housing Australia, the Commonwealth's housing finance agency established under that Act.
New subsection 10A(1) would require Housing Australia to prepare and provide a quarterly report to the Minister as soon as practicable after the end of each quarter of a financial year, relating to its operations for that quarter.
The bill was circulated by authority of Senator Andrew Bragg. Under the commencement clause, the whole of the Act would commence on the day after it receives Royal Assent.
Evidence review
What the quarterly reports would cover
New subsection 10A(2) would set out the information that must be included in each quarterly report, according to the explanatory memorandum: how much money has been spent across each Housing Australia program or measure; how many projects have received financial assistance, in total and under each program or measure; and the cost per dwelling of dwellings included as projects, or parts of projects, that have received financial assistance.
The report would also cover how much money Housing Australia has spent on administration and consultants; how many guarantees have been issued, broken down by the stream of guarantee and the income decile of recipients; and summarised Housing Australia board minutes.
The bill would insert definitions into section 5 of the Act for First Home Guarantees, Help to Buy arrangement, quarterly report and quarterly reporting function, and would add the quarterly reporting function to Housing Australia's functions under the Act.
Evidence review
How the reporting would work
The bill would insert new section 10A into the Housing Australia Act 2018. The proposed quarterly report would be given to the Minister as soon as practicable after the end of each quarter of a financial year, covering Housing Australia's operations for that quarter.
The explanatory memorandum says the reporting would apply across the Housing Australia Investment Mandate and the measures Housing Australia is responsible for. The new definitions for First Home Guarantees, Help to Buy arrangement, quarterly report and quarterly reporting function would sit alongside the Act's existing definitions.
The bill does not specify a public release requirement: the report would be provided to the Minister, and the bill as described does not itself require publication or tabling in Parliament. The explanatory memorandum frames the change as improving transparency in Housing Australia's reporting to government.
If enacted, the first report would be required after the commencement of the Act, which the bill provides would occur on the day after Royal Assent. Reporting obligations would then continue on a quarterly cycle.
Evidence review
Why the bill exists
The explanatory memorandum says the bill is intended to improve transparency in Housing Australia's reporting and to improve reporting across the Housing Australia Investment Mandate and the measures for which Housing Australia is responsible.
Housing Australia administers programs including the First Home Guarantee schemes and the Help to Buy shared equity scheme, which the bill's definitions reference, and other measures under the Investment Mandate set by the responsible Minister.
The bill is a private senator's bill rather than a government bill. The explanatory memorandum does not set out an assessment of the bill's financial impact on Commonwealth expenditure in its outline.
Evidence review
Parliamentary status
The bill was introduced in the Senate and read a first time on 19 August 2026, with the second reading moved the same day. It is sponsored by Senator Bragg and originated in the Senate.
The Parliament of Australia bill page records its status as 'Before Senate' and lists no proposed amendments as circulated as of 21 August 2026.
As of 21 August 2026 the bill had not been enacted. It would need to pass the Senate and the House of Representatives and receive Royal Assent before the quarterly reporting requirements would apply.
Common questions
Before you rely on the answer
What would the Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) Bill 2026 do?
It would require Housing Australia to prepare and give the Minister a quarterly report on its operations, covering program spending, projects assisted, cost per dwelling, administration and consultant spending, guarantees issued by stream and recipient income decile, and summarised board minutes.
Who introduced the bill?
Senator Andrew Bragg of New South Wales, as a private senator's bill, in the Senate on 19 August 2026. It is not a government bill.
What is Housing Australia?
Housing Australia is the Commonwealth's housing finance agency established under the Housing Australia Act 2018. It administers programs including the First Home Guarantee schemes and the Help to Buy shared equity arrangement.
When would the reporting requirements start?
The bill's commencement clause provides that the whole of the Act would commence on the day after it receives Royal Assent. The bill has not been enacted as of 21 August 2026.
Has the bill become law?
No. As of 21 August 2026 the bill was before the Senate with no amendments circulated. It must pass both houses and receive Royal Assent to become law.
Source spine
Primary material used for this guide
- Parliament of Australia — Bill homepage — checked 2026-08-21
- ParlInfo — Explanatory Memorandum, Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) Bill 2026 — official record — checked 2026-08-21
Review trigger: New bill introduced in the Senate on 19 August 2026 (create). Review when the second reading debate resumes or the bill is referred to a committee, when it passes either house, upon Royal Assent, or if the Housing Australia Investment Mandate or reporting arrangements otherwise change.
Archive note: This article reviews the Housing Australia Amendment (Transparency and Reporting) Bill 2026 as introduced in the Senate on 19 August 2026, based on the Parliament of Australia bill page and the explanatory memorandum, checked on 21 August 2026. The bill is a proposal and has not been enacted. Quarterly reporting obligations are described as proposed by the bill, not as current law.
Primary links are provided without affiliate or tracking parameters. Confirm that the source still applies to the bill, sitting date, jurisdiction or reporting period before relying on it.