Defence housing requirement
Overview
DHA’s primary role is to supply housing for Defence members and their families. It provides and manages dwellings across the country in capital cities, major regional centres and remote localities. Houses are acquired through construction, purchase and lease and allocated in accordance with Defence policy. DHA manages the resulting tenancies. Some houses are owned by Defence (e.g. on-base), others by DHA. The majority are privately-owned and leased to DHA, typically for periods of 9 to 12 years. This chapter focuses on the housing portfolio. Chapter 2 focuses on the property and tenancy management business.
Defence Housing Forecast
Defence notifies its housing requirements in the Defence Housing Forecast (DHF) in terms of numbers, location and classification over a four year period. In 2011–12, the requirement was for 19,152 Defence members and their families, rising to nearly 20,000 by 2014–15 (see Figure 1). The DHF is the starting point of the DHA capital planning process and may be used in the justification of new projects that require the approval of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works.
Figure 1: Successive Defence Housing Forecast compared to the actual housing requirement
