Defence Housing Australia (DHA) was established in 1988 under the Defence Housing Australia Act 1987 (DHA Act) and is a Corporate Commonwealth entity and Government Business Enterprise (GBE) in accordance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) and PGPA Rule. DHA is a statutory agency under the Public Service Act 1999 (Public Service Act) and is the only GBE to employ staff in accordance with the Public Service Act.

Refer to Part 4 - Management and accountability of this report for more information about our legislative framework.

Our purpose

The 2019–20 Portfolio Budget Statement outlines DHA’s primary purpose is to contribute to Defence outcomes by providing total housing services that meet Defence operational and client needs through a strong customer and business focus. This outcome is broken down into two key purposes:

1. Provide quality housing and related services

We administer Defence housing policy and provide housing and related services to Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families in accordance with our Services Agreement with the Department of Defence. Our services under this purpose include:

• provision of a property portfolio and manage and maintain housing
• assist in finding a housing solution through our Housing Consultants located around Australia and online services system
• provide a booking and allocation service
• administer the payment of allowances for ADF members occupying rental accommodation
• construct and acquire properties to meet Defence housing demands
• redevelop properties to meet Defence standards.

2. Provide value to shareholders

We provide value for money services to Defence and seek to generate sufficient revenue to enable us to perform our role on a commercially sustainable basis. We do this while continuing to maintain an operational service delivery model, sound governance practices, a capable and productive workforce and integrated and responsive systems that deliver high quality and professional outcomes.

Refer to Part 3 - Performance reporting of this report for our detailed assessment of our performance in 2019–20.