What future for public housing? A critical analysis

This report is the final output of a study that considers the long-term future of public housing in Australia and the capacity of State Housing Authorities (SHAs) to address household need and community sustainability. It presents an analysis based on data collated from international and Australian literature on public housing policy and on the experiences and informed views of key actors working in Commonwealth Government, state administrations and not-for-profit welfare agencies. The research is guided by the following set of questions: What problems have arisen for the SHAs as a result of trying to manage housing stock in a period of tight budgetary constraints? How have the major drivers shaping public housing provision (social, economic and political) affected its future role? How might or should the SHAs prepare for the future policy environment to ensure that funds spent on public housing achieve sustainable policy outcomes? To what extent is public housing viable in the current policy environment? What alternative models of provision might be used in the future to enhance the broader role of public housing? The findings of the report are set out in accordance with the three key thematic areas that were developed in the course of the analysis: financial context, drivers of change and future strategies.