The Right to Adequate Housing in Australia: Community-Based
Disaster Management and Social Work Advocacy

This article shapes an introductory advocacy framework for social workers striving to achieve the right to adequate housing for all in the Australian disaster recovery context. Inequalities across Australia are deepening, significantly driven by the current housing crisis. Stable, adequate and secure housing provides us with the platform to thrive in all domains of life, including health, relationships, education and employment. Compounding, however, upon this housing crisis across Australia is the frequent destruction or serious damage of housing in areas that experience climate change-amplified disasters, such as floods and bushfires. Pre-existing housing inequities substantially shape the aftermath of disasters. Social work human rights–based practice, leveraging upon the human right to adequate housing, is critical for improving the wellbeing of those impacted by disaster.