WA social housing waitlist to be overhauled for first time in 70 years

Women fleeing domestic violence, rough sleepers and people facing severe hardship will no longer have to simply wait their turn for social housing under the first major overhaul of Western Australia's housing waitlist in 70 years.

Housing Minister John Carey said the changes were aimed at prioritising people with "urgent and complex needs" in an effort to bump them to the top of the state's long public housing waiting list.

People seeking a home would be ranked by a "matrix" based on five broad categories — safety, housing circumstances, medical conditions, accessibility needs, and cultural considerations.

Mr Carey said the current system, which includes both a general and priority social housing waiting list, housed people based on how long they have spent on the list, and the availability of a home in their area.

The minister said the system had not been updated since the 1950s, and the changes reflected the "growing complexity in demand" from applicants, particularly women fleeing domestic violence.

"These reforms are aimed at reducing the time for those with the greatest need to access social and public housing," he said.

Questions remain

Mr Carey was not able to say how people assessed under the new matrix would be ranked on the list, or how much wait times would be reduced by.

John Carey says the changes are aimed at reducing wait times for those with the greatest need. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers )

He said that would be sorted out during a consultation period over the next year, with the aim of implementing the reforms in early 2028.

"This is ... why we're doing consultation: how do you identify one disadvantage is worse than another?" Mr Carey said.

"We will consider across the five themes how they'll be identified and assessed and then those with the greatest need will then be eligible first for housing.

"So the 'wait-turn' approach will no longer occur."

There will also be a "register of interest list" for people who currently have a roof over their heads, but would prefer to be in social housing.

Mr Carey defended prioritising people with urgent needs over people who had waited a long time, but were not necessary facing imminent danger.

"The social housing system is a safety net and it is a safety net for the most vulnerable people in our community," he said.

"We have people on the waiting list who are in secure, safe housing, but they decide to put their name on the list for a range of different reasons.

"This idea that everyone on the list is of urgent need is not the case."

WA's opposition said it agreed people with the greatest needs should be prioritised for social housing,

"But the reality is there's no point moving up a queue if the queue is not moving," Liberal MP Sandra Brewer said.

Responding in parliament to a question from the Greens, the government said as at March 2026 there were 23,395 applicants on the social housing waitlist, including 8,114 on the priority list.

Advocates welcome changes

The changes were welcomed by several advocacy groups that represent the interests of domestic violence victims and other vulnerable West Australians.

Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing chief executive Alison Evans said the planned reforms were "a significant step in that direction".

Alison Evans says the change is a "significant step" in the right direction. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers )

"Women and children do have to sometimes make that choice between being in a home that's not safe or being homeless, which really is an impossible choice," she said.

"Adults, children and young people who are experiencing family and domestic violence need fast access to secure and stable housing so they can be safe and so they can thrive."

Ms Evans said creating safe and affordable pathways into long-term housing allowed victims of domestic violence to rebuild their lives.

Shelter WA Chair Michael Chester said the current "one-size-fits-all" approach was not working.

Shelter WA Chair Michael Chester said he was glad there would be a system that triages people for housing based on their needs. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers )

"We're really pleased that there will be a methodology in place to triage and prioritise people with the most complex needs," he said.

Greens WA housing spokesperson Tim Clifford said the party had long called for the reforms, which would mean applications were assessed "based on the needs of the person and not just whether they are number 6,000 or number one on the list."