ABSTRACT The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) was introduced by the Federal Government of Australia, on the 1 st July 2008. Whilst the primary aim of the scheme is to provide new dwellings for low to middle income Australian families, there is also the added bonus of a tax incentive program for property investors. In contrast, whilst public housing and welfare programs are not accompanied by tax incentives for property investors, these are also generally considered as suitable options for providing affordable rental housing. The purpose of this research paper is to undertake a comparison of NRAS against other welfare programs, such as public housing and to evaluate the long term viability of these programs and schemes. It is argued, that in the long term, schemes such as NRAS, which are accompanied by tax incentives for property investors, are able to provide a more permanent solution to the housing rental affordability issues within Australia
