This research explores the housing policies that can improve community preparedness and responses to disasters. It is part of the AHURI Inquiry, Housing policy and disasters: better co-ordinating actors, responses and data.
Post-disaster housing recovery is slow, frustrating and complex, with challenges set to increase. A pre-existing housing crisis and increasing climate-fuelled disaster threat means business as usual is not an option for decision makers.
The threat to housing in Australia from hazards such as bushfires, floods and cyclones is increasing, with replacement costs escalating. A Climate Council of Australia report found that one in 25 Australian homes (around 500,000 homes) is at high risk of becoming effectively uninsurable by 2030. This means new short-term relief strategies and longer-term housing recovery solutions need to be developed.
