Defence Housing Australia Amendment Act 2025

No. 36, 2025

An Act to expand the main function of Defence Housing Australia, and for related purposes

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

Defence Housing Australia Act 1987

Defence Housing Australia Amendment Act 2025

No. 36, 2025

An Act to expand the main function of Defence Housing Australia, and for related purposes

[Assented to 28 August 2025]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act is the Defence Housing Australia Amendment Act 2025.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Defence Housing Australia Act 1987

1  Subsection 3(1)

Insert:

accredited representative of a registered charity means a person who performs acts at the request or direction of the Defence Force as an accredited representative of the registered charity (where the accreditation is by the Defence Force).

government of a foreign country or a part of a foreign country means the authority exercising effective governmental control in that foreign country or that part of that foreign country.

government body of a foreign country means:

 (a) the government of the foreign country or of part of the foreign country; or

 (b) an authority of the government of the foreign country; or

 (c) an authority of the government of part of the foreign country; or

 (d) a local government body or regional government body of the foreign country; or

 (e) a public enterprise of the foreign country.

military organisation of a foreign country means the armed forces of the government of the foreign country.

registered charity means an entity that is registered under the Australian Charities and Not‑for‑profits Commission Act 2012 as the type of entity mentioned in column 1 of item 1 of the table in subsection 25‑5(5) of that Act.

2  Paragraphs 5(1)(c) and (d)

Omit “contracted to provide”, substitute “who provide”.

3  After paragraph 5(1)(d)

Insert:

 and (e) persons for whom the provision of such housing or services would facilitate engagement in activities with or for the Defence Force, and their families; and

 (f) members of a military organisation of a foreign country and their families; and

 (g) officials and employees of a government body of a foreign country and their families; and

 (h) contractors engaged by:

 (i) a military organisation of a foreign country; or

 (ii) a government body of a foreign country; or

 (iii) a contractor to which this paragraph applies (other than because of this subparagraph);

  and their families; and

 (i) accredited representatives of registered charities and their families; and

 (j) persons in a class of persons covered by a determination under subsection (3) and their families;

4  At the end of section 5

Add:

 (3) The Minister may, by legislative instrument, determine classes of persons for the purposes of paragraph (1)(j).

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 24 July 2025

Senate on 31 July 2025]