The federal government is promising to lead from the top when it comes to tackling Australia's homelessness crisis.
Housing and Homelessness Minister Julie Collins has committed to a national plan, shifting away from tackling the issue on a state-by-state basis.
"Homelessness is an ongoing challenge for this government, one that we take very seriously," she said in a speech to the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute on Monday.
"The work of fixing these challenges will not happen overnight but this is not an excuse for inaction or an excuse to not be ambitious."
Ms Collins declared the coalition government's "decade of drift and disinterest in housing and homelessness policy" over.
"The task of ensuring every Australian has a place to call home is a job for all of us and it is important that leadership starts at the very top," she said.
"Real leadership on this issue will require us to reframe the conversation about Australians that are facing housing challenges."
In the run-up to May's election, Labor promised to set up a $10 billion housing fund to build 30,000 new social and affordable homes within five years.
A proposed Help to Buy scheme will allow 10,000 home buyers a year to buy a new or existing home with an equity contribution from the government.
Ms Collins used her speech to spruik the government's plans as well as the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, to be established to play a key role in the developing and implementing the national housing and homelessness plan.
She said the government would work with the states and territories to implement the strategy, expected to take about 18 months to develop.
"Collaboration is key in addressing the homelessness challenge in Australia, whether it's with the states and territories, or the sector," Ms Collins said.
"States hold many of the supply levers, therefore a strong relationship across all levels of government is critical."
Ms Collins met with her state and territory counterparts last month, the first joint housing ministers meeting since 2017.
