Social Housing in Australia: Evolution, Legacy and Contemporary Policy Debates: A Case for System Reform

Abstract

Offers a comprehensive grounding in contemporary policy settings of the Australian public policy housing system
Promotes in-depth appreciation of contemporary debates including those focused on housing affordability and housing tax reform
Describes the policies and institutions that have shaped Australia’s housing system.

This collection provides a comprehensive grounding in contemporary policy settings across all sectors of the Australian public policy housing system and investigates the many dimensions of housing affordability and government actions that affect this concern.
The book analyzes the causes and implications of declining homeownership, rising rates of rental stress and the neglect of social housing, as well as the housing situation of Indigenous Australians.
The book covers a period where housing policy primarily operated under a neo-liberal paradigm dominated by financial de-regulation and fiscal austerity.
It critiques the broad and fragmented range of government measures that have influenced housing outcomes over this period.
These include regulation, planning and taxation policies as well as explicit housing programs.
The book also identifies current and future housing challenges for Australian governments, recognising these as a complex set of inter-connected problems.
Introducing the reader to the economics and administration of housing provision, this book sets out strategic priorities for the transformational national housing strategy needed to improve affordability outcomes for the most vulnerable in Australian society.​