Defence Housing can now house foreign troops and AUKUS crews
Defence Housing Australia is the government body that finds homes for Defence families. It used to house only Australian Defence people and their contractors. This law lets it also house US and UK submarine crews, other foreign staff and charity workers who help the Defence Force.
Official name: Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025
- Defence Housing Australia can now house foreign troops, foreign government staff and their families.
- Charity workers who help the Defence Force, such as Salvation Army staff, can get homes too.
- The main reason is a submarine deal with the US and UK. Their crews are coming to Western Australia.
- The Defence Minister can add more groups later. Parliament can say no to that.
- The government says it costs nothing extra.
Who it affects
- US and UK submarine crews and their families: They can rent homes from Defence Housing Australia while they work near Perth.
- Other foreign troops and government staff: They can get Defence housing when they work with the Australian Defence Force.
- Charity workers who help the Defence Force: Approved staff from groups like the Red Cross can get Defence housing.
- People who supply goods or services to Defence: They no longer need a formal contract to get a home.
- Local renters near the Stirling navy base: Councils and local groups warn the new arrivals will make homes harder to find.
Defence homes for Australians only
Defence Housing Australia is a government business. It was set up in 1987. It finds and looks after homes for Defence Force members and their families. These families move a lot, because members get sent to new bases.
Before this law, it could only house a few groups. These were Defence Force members, Defence department staff and Defence contractors, plus their families. By law, it could not house foreign troops or charity workers. That was true even when Defence needed it to.
Why the law changed
The Auditor-General checks how government bodies spend money. In Report No. 31 of 2019-20, this office looked at Defence Housing Australia. It said the housing body's law should match what Defence really needs.
That meant housing foreign troops who visit or swap jobs with ours. It also meant housing charities that help the Defence Force. Defence and the housing body agreed.
Australia also has more foreign forces here now. They include US forces and Japanese forces under a deal with Japan. Singapore troops also train here.
The biggest reason is AUKUS. That is a defence deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Under the deal, Australia will get submarines that run on nuclear power.
The first step has a name, Submarine Rotational Force-West. From as early as 2027, one UK submarine and up to four US submarines will take turns at a navy base. The base is HMAS Stirling, south of Perth.
More US and UK sailors began to arrive in Western Australia from 2025. So did government staff, contractors and families.
The government says Defence Housing Australia knows how to house Defence families. It wants the US and UK staff to get the same kind of homes as our own troops.
New groups it can house
The law adds new groups the housing body can house, along with their families. The first group is members of foreign armed forces. The second is staff of foreign governments.
Contractors hired by foreign forces or governments are in too. So are the smaller firms those contractors hire.
Approved workers from registered charities are also added. The government's notes on the bill name two examples. They are the Salvation Army and the Australian Red Cross.
One more group is added. It covers people whose housing would help them do work with or for the Defence Force. This group is wider than just suppliers.
Say a US Navy engineer is sent to the Stirling base with a partner and two kids. The housing body can now find and look after a home for that family.
All housing must still meet what the Defence Force and the Defence department need. The housing body cannot use the new powers for other reasons.
No contract needed for suppliers
The old law said the housing body could house people "contracted to provide" goods or services to Defence. The new law says "who provide".
So a person can now get a home even with no formal contract. The government's notes give an example. It is a deal made under a treaty between Australia and another country. A treaty is a formal deal between countries.
Minister can add groups
The Defence Minister can add more groups of people the housing body may house. The Minister does this with a written rule. It does not need a new vote to make it.
The government says this keeps the law up to date. The Defence workforce is no longer just people in uniform and government office staff. Parliament can vote to cancel any new rule like this.
Housing pressure near bases
In 2024, a group of MPs and senators looked at building plans for the base. This was Parliament's Public Works Committee. Its report said homes near the Stirling base were getting hard to find.
The City of Rockingham is the local council near the base. It told the committee it was planning for up to 2,000 foreign support workers linked to the submarine deal. A group of Perth councils gave a warning. They said so many new people could push struggling locals out of rentals.
The housing body has signed contracts with three Western Australian firms. They will build 550 new homes near the base over 5 years. These homes will be rented to the housing body for Defence staff and families.
Start date
Matt Keogh is the Minister for Defence Personnel. He brought the bill to the House of Representatives on 24 July 2025. That is the lower house of Parliament, where the government sits. The House passed it on 30 July 2025.
The Senate is the other house of Parliament. It passed the bill on 25 August 2025. In the Senate debate, senators agreed to a change put forward by the Jacqui Lambie Network. That is a small party led by Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie. The change added words to the vote on the main idea of the bill. It did not change the bill itself.
The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia. He signed the bill into law on 28 August 2025. Its official law number is Act No. 36 of 2025. It started the next day.
How they voted
| Vote | Result |
|---|---|
| Vote to add a statement House of Representatives, 30 July 2025 Labor 85 no, Liberal 15 aye, Nationals 12 aye, LNP 11 aye, Independent 1 aye, 6 no, Centre Alliance 1 no, Greens 1 no | Noes won 93 to 39 |
| Vote to add a statement Senate, 25 August 2025 Labor 23 no, Liberal 16 aye, Greens 10 no, Nationals 3 aye, One Nation 2 aye, LNP 1 aye, Country Liberal 1 aye, United Australia 1 aye, Lambie Network 1 aye, Australia's Voice 1 no, Independent 1 no | Noes won 35 to 25 |
| Vote to add a statement Senate, 25 August 2025 Labor 24 no, Greens 10 aye, One Nation 2 aye, Independent 1 aye, 1 no, Liberal 2 no, Australia's Voice 1 aye, United Australia 1 aye, Lambie Network 1 aye, Country Liberal 1 no | Noes won 28 to 16 |
| Vote to add a statement Senate, 25 August 2025 Labor 23 no, Liberal 17 aye, Greens 10 aye, Nationals 2 aye, One Nation 2 aye, Independent 2 aye, LNP 1 aye, Country Liberal 1 aye, Australia's Voice 1 aye, United Australia 1 aye, Lambie Network 1 aye | Ayes won 38 to 23 |
| Vote on the main idea Senate, 25 August 2025 Labor 23 aye, Greens 9 no, Liberal 2 aye, One Nation 2 aye, Independent 2 aye, Lambie Network 1 aye, Australia's Voice 1 no | Ayes won 30 to 10 |
| Vote on a change Senate, 25 August 2025 Labor 23 no, Greens 10 aye, Liberal 2 no, One Nation 2 no, Independent 2 no, Australia's Voice 1 aye, Country Liberal 1 no, Lambie Network 1 no | Noes won 31 to 11 |
| Final vote Senate, 25 August 2025 Labor 21 aye, Greens 10 no, One Nation 3 aye, Liberal 3 aye, Independent 1 aye, United Australia 1 aye, Australia's Voice 1 no | Ayes won 29 to 11 |
Its journey through Parliament
| 24 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |
| 24 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading moved |
| 30 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading debate |
| 30 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Referred to Federation Chamber |
| 30 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading debate |
| 30 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Reported from Federation Chamber |
| 30 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading agreed to |
| 30 Jul 2025 | House of Representatives: Third reading agreed to |
| 31 Jul 2025 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 31 Jul 2025 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 25 Aug 2025 | Senate: Second reading debate : Amendment details: 1 Jacqui Lambie Network agreed to |
| 25 Aug 2025 | Senate: Second reading agreed to |
| 25 Aug 2025 | Senate: Committee of the Whole debate |
| 25 Aug 2025 | Senate: Third reading agreed to |
| 25 Aug 2025 | : Finally passed both Houses |
| 28 Aug 2025 | : Assent Act no : 36 Year : 2025 |