Housing futures
The financing, production, distribution, design and experience of housing and home are foundational to just, healthy, productive cities and regions. Knowledge for housing transitions to affordable, just and livable urban environments requires a cross-disciplinary/interdisciplinary dialogue with urban policy, planning and politics.
Where and how do urban citizens live? How does this relate to their social and economic welfare? Urban landscapes in cities and regions are shaped by housing opportunities, options, governance and dwelling infrastructure. Understanding the conditions, the patterns, the pathways and adaptations to affordable, appropriate and accessible housing can contribute to inclusive, just and liveable urban futures.
The operation of housing markets in Australia has created substantial inequalities with socioeconomic, spatial and intergenerational aspects. Policy has struggled to understand and react to these challenges. In this research theme, we’re studying ways to improve housing access and affordability so that housing can become a source of opportunity rather than inequity.
Our work investigates the drivers, consequences and experiences of restructuring urban housing market and aspirations for better housing futures. Priority issues include strategies to improve housing and create more equitable cities, regions and communities for current and future generations. The key disciplines involved in this research include urban sociology, urban economics, sociology, human geography, demography, social policy and urban planning.
Our studies cover:
Trends, indicators and analytics — measuring urban housing opportunity, disadvantage and transformation
Geo-spatial analysis — mapping housing inequalities and transition points
Housing for ‘just cities’ — identifying groups lacking opportunities
Dynamics, risks and transitions — identifying the risks associated with transitions and the best policy and practices to respond to these
Policy innovation, development, engagement and impact — creating new models of affordable, accessible, appropriate housing
Housing just city transitions — including ways that citizens can be engaged in improving housing futures and achieving system-wide aspirations.
Our current and recent projects include studies of housing behaviours of young, middle-aged and elderly Australians, with a particular focus on changing rental, ownership and collaborative housing and homes.
Program leader
Current projects
This state government funded (Department of Health and Human Services) project monitors the outcomes of the government’s COVID-19 crises-generated rental relief program. Targeted at low-to-moderate earners, the six-month program is designed to assist tenants with affordability issues for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.
The data-based research focuses on these issues:
How many households took up the program?
To what degree it assisted their affordability problem?
What rental housing markets i.e location, were principally affected?
Who took up the program by income, wealth, Household type, Location?
What rental ranges and rental dwelling type were mainly affected?
The project is continuing and no report is expected until early 2021.
Our team comprises Liss Ralston, Dr Piret Veeroja, Associate Professor Wendy Stone and Professor Terry Burke.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
This ongoing project results in the production of the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) quarterly Rental Report. This report is designed to provide government, industry and interested members of the public with an understanding of trends in Victoria’s rental market.
While published by DHHS, the entire report is researched and produced by staff from our centre. This involves collecting and cleaning bond data from the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA), converting that data into regional and suburban tables and figures, and writing text that interprets these trends.
Our team comprises Liss Ralston, Dr Sean McNelis and Professor Terry Burke.
Contact
Professor Terry Burke
Australia has a persistent shortage of affordable, quality housing. Housing cooperatives are member-based organisations providing rental and owner-occupied homes to members. They are associated with benefits for member-residents, including improved housing, improved senses of belonging and community, and employment and education outcomes.
However, evidence for those benefits has gaps, so this study aims to develop a framework for assessing housing cooperative benefits and to develop a typology to identify the factors shaping those benefits. The project outcome will be an evidence base of what works in cooperative housing, which can benefit the country by providing a rationale for the growth of and policy support for socially beneficial housing.
Our partner organisation for this project is the Australian Cooperative Housing Alliance.
Researchers: Associate Professor Louise Crabtree (Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University), Dr Neil Perry (School of Business, Western Sydney University), Dr Sidsel Grimstad (The University of Newcastle), Associate Professor Wendy Stone (Swinburne University of Technology), Dr Emma Power (Institute for Culture and Society and School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University).
Total project value (cash and in-kind contributions): $594,268.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
Housing conditions are linked to children’s physical and mental health, wellbeing, and emotional, educational and behavioural outcomes. Currently, there is a paucity of empirical evidence that connects Australian housing conditions and child/family outcomes.
This project contains four main analytic themes that investigate:
- Geographies and exposure to housing poverty among Australian children in urban transitions
- Children’s housing conditions and poverty in Australian policies
- Children’s housing quality and its relationship with health and wellbeing
- Children’s access to neighbourhood amenities (such as green spaces) and their role in mitigating housing poverty.
Our team comprises Associate Professor Wendy Stone, Zoe Goodall, Margaret Reynolds, Farahnaz Sharifi and Dr Piret Veeroja.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
This project is investigating blind spots in policy and residential tenancies legislation concerning share-houses and share-house tenants. It examines how areas of discretion and oversight can create risks for share-house tenants when entering and exiting tenancy arrangements, as well as during the tenancy.
Contact
Zoe Goodall
Rental is Australia’s emerging tenure. Each year, the proportion of Australians who rent increases. Many of us will rent for life and for the first time in generations there are now more renters than homeowners.
Though the rental sector is home to almost one-third of all Australians, researchers and policymakers know little about conditions in this growing market because there is currently no systematic or reliable data. This project will provide researchers and policy stakeholders with an essential database on Australia’s rental housing conditions.
This ARC LIEF funded data infrastructure (2019–2020) will provide the knowledge base for national and international research and allow for better urban, economic and social policy development. Building on The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset, in 2020 we will collect data on the housing conditions of 15,000 rental households, covering all Australian states and territories.
The project is funded by the Australian Research Council and The University of Adelaide, in partnership with the University of South Australia, the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Curtin University and Western Sydney University.
It is led by Professor Emma Baker at the University of Adelaide. At Swinburne, Chief Investigators are Associate Professor Wendy Stone, Professor Kath Hulse and Associate Professor Andi Nygaard.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
This AHURI funded project, jointly undertaken with UTAS colleagues, researched the day-to-day experience of frontline housing workers in the Australian public housing system who are operating in a difficult financial and organisation context. Their work is changing, with growing complexity in tenant need and continuing requirements for knowledge and skill levels way above position descriptions and payment.
The research was undertaken at a time when state housing authorities (SHAs) were adopting more ‘tenant-centered’ approaches to service provision, with this approach sometimes referred to as ‘social landlords’. The research method involved interviews with senior managers of SHAs across Australia and focus groups with frontline workers in four jurisdictions.
The report concluded that the public housing system coped with the challenges confronting it largely because of the dedication and goodwill of staff rather than because the system is designed to support success. The capacity to deliver on the outcomes expected of the social landlord model of client service is weakened by the funding context with little ability to see improvement in this domain.
Our Swinburne team comprises Professor Terry Burke and Dr Iris Levin.
Contact
Professor Terry Burke
This AHURI-funded research project researched the changing nature of home ownership in Australia from 1945 to the present, including locating Australia in a comparative context with equivalent countries.
The research focused on two major themes.
The changing institutional context of the home ownership system in Australia, paying particular attention to the window of opportunity between 1945 and the 1970s and the market liberal environment of the 1980s. It examined trends against a backdrop of changing labour markets, housing affordability, new dwelling products, the restructuring of cities and the financialisation of property.
Comparing Australia with 18 equivalent countries to draw out whether Australia’s slow decline in ownership was unique or characteristic of a more general trend. After the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, the trend overall has been a retreat from ownership, raising important policy issues.
The research suggested that an institutional analysis is an important lens for explanation of changes in tenure and for seeking points for policy intervention beyond just housing policy; taxation, labor market, income support and land use policy all have a role in shaping tenure outcomes. The impediments to policy reform are substantial but it is recommended that a starting point is the development of a national housing strategy.
Our team comprises Professor Terry Burke, Associate Professor Andi Nygaard and Liss Ralston.
Contact
Professor Terry Burke
This research examines international and Australian practice and examines policy treatment of companion animals, both as pets and assistance animals across housing tenures and sectors, including private landlords, housing organisations and governments. Funding has been provided by an AHURI National Housing Research Funded grant (2019–2020).
This research is a partnership between Swinburne University, the University of South Australia, Adelaide University, Curtin University and Western Sydney University. Swinburne researchers are Associate Professor Wendy Stone and Zoe Goodall.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
The aim of this inquiry is to develop a detailed and evidence-based understanding of institutional changes in the Australian private rental sector and consequent opportunities and challenges for improving the sector in the future. The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute is funding the inquiry (AHURI 51120) over two years (2016–2017).
We’re investigating Australian and international policies and practices that are responding to an increase in the number of households who rent in the private market. Private renters are very diverse and include a growing number of lower and higher income households.
The three supporting research projects:
The institutional dynamics of the Australian private rental sector: Prospects and opportunities (AHURI 51121).
Innovation and change in the institutions of private rental housing: An international review (AHURI 71122).
Improving outcomes for lower-income private renter households: Opportunities and challenges (AHURI 51123).
Our team comprises Professor Kath Hulse (Inquiry Lead) and Dr Sharon Parkinson, with research collaboration from Professor Hal Pawson and Dr Chris Martin (both from UNSW’s City Futures Research Centre).
Contact
Professor Kath Hulse
Previous projects
The gap between housing that increasing numbers of Australians aspire to and need, and the housing that they can afford and access, is growing. What we call the ‘housing aspirations gap’ now affects households from all walks of life at key life stages.
This two-year project (2017–2018) is funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 51170, Category 1 Funding) to utilise innovative quantitative and qualitative methods to develop an evidence-base for policy development and innovation to support low to moderate income Australians’ housing opportunities. It consists of three research projects and a Policy Inquiry panel including key stakeholders.
The aim is to establish the evidence base needed to transform housing policy in Australia to better meet the housing aspirations of lower-income Australian households at three key life stages: young adult, mid-life and later-life, as well as vulnerable groups within each of these stages. This includes a focus on Indigenous housing, led by Dr Angela Spinney. The policy emphasis in this project is enhancing the innovative policy settings across national, state and territory jurisdictions, needed to address the housing aspirations gap, as well as developing existing options.
Our team is led by Associate Professor Wendy Stone and comprises Dr Sharon Parkinson, Margaret Reynolds and Professor Terry Burke. Research collaboration is provided by Associate Professor Steven Rowley and Dr Amity James (both from Curtin University).
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
The social, economic and demographic changes impacting young adults today are part of a global phenomenon and it’s clear that policies assisting previous generations to realise their housing aspirations are no longer sufficient.
The aim of this project is to develop an innovative national Australians Housing Aspirations (AHA) survey that includes a multi-method approach to examine the extent to which lower-income young Australian adults (18–34 years) are constrained in achieving their shelter and non-shelter aspirations, and how policy innovation can be harnessed to reduce short, medium and longer-term aspiration gaps.
Our research forms part of a larger AHURI Evidence-based Policy Inquiry into housing aspirations and constraints for lower-income Australians. This research will enable policymakers to better target housing assistance to reduce the aspirations gap of young adults by promoting greater opportunities for building wealth and security throughout the life course.
Our team comprises Dr Sharon Parkinson (Project Lead), Associate Professor Wendy Stone (Inquiry Lead) and Dr Angela Spinney. Research collaboration is provided by Associate Professor Steven Rowley and Dr Amity James (both from Curtin University).
Contact
Dr Sharon Parkinson
By mid-life (around ages 35–54), Australian households have either achieved relatively high levels of housing security, are working towards these, or are ‘locked out’ from housing security through accumulated disadvantage or life disruptions. Risk factors for housing insecurity at mid-life include divorce/separation, disability or illness, migration, job loss/underemployment or a longer-term inability to keep up with high rents and mortgage costs.
This two-year project (2017–2018) is funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 51172, Category 1 Funding). We’re developing an innovative national Australian Housing Aspirations (AHA) survey that includes a multi-method approach, to develop an evidence-base upon which to build policy development and innovation to support low- to moderate-income Australians’ housing opportunities.
Our research forms part of a larger AHURI Evidence-based Policy Inquiry into housing aspirations and constraints for lower-income Australians. It delivers essential evidence-based policy development options for policy development and innovation to improve opportunities for growing numbers of households at mid-life who face highly constrained housing opportunities resulting in an ‘aspirations gap’ they will carry into retirement years.
Our team comprises Associate Professor Wendy Stone (Project Lead and Inquiry Lead), Dr Sharon Parkinson and Dr Angela Spinney. Research collaboration is provided by Dr Amity James (Project Lead) and Associate Professor Steven Rowley (both from Curtin University).
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
The aim of this project is to scope, map and analyse institutional change in Australia’s growing private rental sector and to consider implications of this change for future reform of the sector. It’s funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 51121) over two years (2016–2017), as one of three research projects that form the inquiry into the future of the private rental sector.
This project examines:
the dynamics and drivers of emerging trends in the institutions of Australia’s private rental sector
the consequent opportunities and challenges for the sector.
Our team comprises Professor Kath Hulse (Project Lead and Inquiry Lead) and Associate Professor Wendy Stone, with research collaboration from Dr Chris Martin (University of NSW) and Dr Amity James (Curtin University).
Contact
Professor Kath Hulse
The aim of this project is to establish the key lessons from institutional change in the private rental sectors (PRS) of countries that are comparable to Australia to assist in developing institutional reform relevant to the growing Australian private rental sector. It is funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 51121) over two years (2016–2017), as one of three research projects that form the inquiry into the future of the private rental sector.
This project examines:
recent institutional developments or trends in the private rental sectors of selected countries of relevance to Australia
the implications and outcomes of recent PRS institutional developments in these countries e.g. on access, dwelling type and terms and conditions of tenancy
learning relevant learning to reform of Australia’s PRS, having regard to differences in institutional and market context.
Our team comprises Professor Kath Hulse, with research collaboration from Dr Chris Martin (Project Lead) and Professor Hal Pawson (both from University of NSW), as well as international experts from nine other countries.
Contact
Professor Kath Hulse
The private rental sector (PRS) has come to play an increasingly central role in the Australian housing system over the last 20 years. As a sector, it’s moving through a period of institutional transformation shaped by more frenzied investment activity and new forms of sharing facilitated by online platforms and a social economy for renting that is resulting in increased segmentation among income groups.
This project investigates the barriers and opportunities for lower-income private renters in being able to navigate the PRS in the context of such institutional change. This is one of three research projects that form the inquiry into the future of the private rental sector. It will enable policymakers to consider the challenges and opportunities for innovation in delivering better outcomes at the low end of the PRS for the future.
Our team comprises Dr Sharon Parkinson and Professor Terry Burke, with research collaboration from Dr Amity James (Curtin University) and Dr Edgar Liu (University of NSW).
Contact
Dr Sharon Parkinson
This study is investigating the drivers and consequences of growing private rental investment, especially in disadvantaged areas of Australia’s two largest cities: Sydney and Melbourne. This is a three-year project (2015–2017) funded by the Australian Research Council (DP150102582).
This project is investigating:
changes in the ownership and geography of the private rental housing stock in Sydney and Melbourne since the early 1990s and the extent of its association with emerging areas of suburban social disadvantage
factors contributing to growing investor activity in suburban Australia, especially focusing on changes in the context of investment opportunities and the role of rental investment in household wealth management strategies
the consequences of growing private rental provision in disadvantaged suburbs in terms of the longer-term socio-economic outcomes for these locations and the impact on local property markets.
Our team comprises Professor Kath Hulse and Margaret Reynolds, with research collaboration from Professor Hal Pawson, Professor Bill Randolph and Dr Chris Martin (all from University of NSW).
Contact
Professor Kath Hulse
A new ‘Generation Rent’ is emerging in Australia as more people are renting in the private market rather than buying. One-third of all private renters — including not only younger people but also families with children and older people — are long-term renters (renting for 10 years or more).
This is a three-year project (2014–2017) funded by the Australian Research Council (DP140101685). The project is looking at why some people become long-term renters, how much they can make the rental property into a home and exercise some control over their circumstances, and the ways in which long-term renting affects their wellbeing.
Our team comprises Professor Kath Hulse and Margaret Reynolds, with research collaboration from Professor Alan Morris (University of Technology Sydney) and Professor Hal Pawson (University of NSW).
Contact
Professor Kath Hulse
Airbnb has emerged as a global platform matching travellers with hosts for short stays in private dwellings, as an alternative to hostel and hotel accommodation. This project examines the impact of Airbnb — a first-wave disruptive housing technology — on the utilisation of private housing in Sydney and Melbourne.
It will provide policymakers with critical insights into Airbnb’s impact on housing opportunity in these cities and the implications for regulating the platform equitably, effectively and efficiently. This research forms part of a larger AHURI Evidence-based Policy Inquiry into the potential of new technologies to disrupt housing policy.
Our team comprises Dr Sharon Parkinson with research collaboration from Dr Laura Crommelin (Project Lead), Dr Laurence Troy and Dr Chris Martin (all from University of NSW).
Contact
Dr Sharon Parkinson
The heightened risks and consequences of homelessness among individuals identifying as LGBTI compared with the general population have been well documented in studies abroad, yet there has been little systematic research into comparable experiences in Australia. This exploratory research draws on a mixed-methods approach using secondary data and interviews to investigate the risks, service needs and use among LGBTI individuals with recent experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity.
Our research is based on a collaborative partnership with the Division of General Practice at Melbourne University and adopts an action research approach with the aim of improving the homelessness service system response.
It is funded and supported by a consortium of agencies including the Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Australia (GALFA), Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Assia Altman Fund of the Australian Communities Foundation, Launch Housing, Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services and Bendigo Bank.
Our team comprised Dr Sharon Parkinson and Associate Professor Deb Dempsey, with research collaboration from Associate Professor Ruth McNair and Dr Cal Andrews (both from University of Melbourne).
Contact
Dr Sharon Parkinson
This project explores the best ways for community service providers to identify and respond to women and children who are homeless or at risk of homelessness as a result of family violence, but who do not specifically identify themselves as such to service providers.
Our research was funded by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and is a collaboration with Wesley Mission Victoria (Wesley).
The overall project objectives were:
to understand how community service providers with non-family violence specific services can most effectively identify women and children experiencing family violence, in order to inform appropriate service delivery and support
to inform the community service sector on program design and practice for 'first-to-know' services, providing effective early intervention responses to women and children seeking support as a result of family violence.
Contact
Dr Angela Spinney
The way homelessness support services are delivered is shown to have a substantial impact on outcomes for people who have experienced homelessness, including the types of opportunities they might have in their future housing pathways.
This one-year project (2015–2016), funded by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, utilised a strengths-based ‘capabilities’ approach to:
examine select models of support services for homeless persons that are long-term and based on a capability development approach
identify key examples of such models in the Australian context
discuss how these might be tailored for young people experiencing homelessness as well as for families and children who are homeless due to family and domestic violence.
This project identified factors influencing successful outcomes for clients, including level of readiness, length of support and the nature of participation that clients experience within the support model. Future avenues for expanding and enhancing effective responses to housing supports in the context of family and domestic violence were also explored.
Our team comprised Associate Professor Wendy Stone, Dr Sharon Parkinson, Dr Angela Spinney and Dr Farnaz Zirakbash. Collaborators at the Brotherhood of St Laurence were Professor Shelley Mallett and Mr Michael Horn.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
Children and young people are bearing the brunt of declining housing opportunities for low to moderate income families in the context of high housing costs. Yet we know remarkably little about how large housing problems are for children and young people themselves, nor what the key risk factors for exposure to housing disadvantage are for children, young people and young adults in metropolitan and regional locations in Victoria and Australia.
This one-year project (2015–2016) was funded by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation. It used innovative child-focused methods to bridge this critical knowledge gap and provide an evidence base for policy and practice.
This project identified housing disadvantage locational ‘hot spots’ for children and young people in a range of family types, using customised unit record files. It examined how these are changing over time and for which ‘types’ of children and young people.
Our team comprised Associate Professor Wendy Stone and Margaret Reynolds.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
Funded by the AHURI, this study found that state housing departments have come a considerable way in implementing public housing-like tenancy management standards to some remote Indigenous communities.
Where NPARIH investments have taken place, improvements have been generated in the lives of tenants. Tenancy management is beginning to become systemic rather than crisis-driven and there is greater consistency in the quality of housing and housing management.
Most tenants surveyed agreed that housing and living conditions had improved and that, overall, things in the community are better. Those in new and refurbished housing reported being satisfied. Respondents understood requirements for paying rent and were keen to maintain their homes in good condition. They were aware of policies on visitors and on reporting property damage.
The most successful arrangements were those in Western Australia where a hybrid model prevailed, with tenancy management services delivered in partnership with the community sector and service delivery included a high level of Indigenous employment.
Our team comprised Dr Angela Spinney, with research collaboration from Professor Daphne Habibis, Professor Peter Phibbs and Professor Churchill.
Contact
Dr Angela Spinney
Resources
The private rental sector is playing an increasingly important role in the Australian housing system, with more than one in four Australian households living in the sector.
This project was funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 51018) during 2013–2015. It used customised ABS Census data from 2011 and estimated:
The supply of private rental housing that was affordable and available to lower income households in 2011
Changes in supply in the intercensal period of 2006–2011
Changes in the household demand between 2006 and 2011
It was the latest in a series of four projects that examined in detail changes in supply and demand for low-rent housing based on ABS Census data in 1996, 2001 and 2006 as well as relevant intercensal periods.
Our team comprised Professor Kath Hulse (Project Lead), Margaret Reynolds and Associate Professor Wendy Stone, with research collaboration from Honorary A/Professor Judith Yates (University of Sydney) and Dr Maryann Wulff.
Contact
Professor Kath Hulse
This AHURI-funded project looked at the impact of funding sources on the outcomes of services for homeless Indigenous Australians. The research addressed the topic of government and non-government direct and indirect funding of services that support Indigenous homeless people and how the funding mix influences service provision and outcomes.
Case-study services were chosen to represent a range of organisation types and service provision in very different locations. They all provided services for homeless people and had mainly Indigenous Australian clients. Focus groups of key stakeholders held in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Victoria drew together key informants from government departments, homelessness organisations and ICOs to discuss the impact of funding mix. The combination of the fieldwork data with the AHURI Australian Homelessness Funding and Delivery Survey (Flatau, Zaretzky et al. 2016) results allowed areas of common concern and importance to emerge.
Drawing together the findings from the survey and our fieldwork revealed a notable similarity in the problems caused by the precarity and uncertainty of funding, regardless of location or type of service. These were operational inefficiency, service gaps, inability of organisations to innovate and impacts on staff recruitment and retention.
Our team comprised Dr Angela Spinney (Project Lead) and Dr Sean McNelis, with research collaboration from Professor Daphne Habibis (University of Tasmania).
Contact
Dr Angela Spinney
Resources
As policymakers look to new forms of housing assistance provision to meet increasing demand, what becomes clear is that new ways of examining the types and extent of housing assistance needs is critical to inform policy innovation.
This two-year project (2015–2016), funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 51052, Category 1 Funding) utilised an innovative concept and quantitative examination of housing needs across diverse population groups and all tenures.
This project developed a ‘tenure-neutral’ approach to delivering robust evidence about the longevity and depth of support needs among diverse population groups across the life course, living in ownership and rental tenures. Through qualitative analysis of views of senior policy stakeholders, insights were provided about the potential benefits and pitfalls of an individualised model of housing support to address these, such as that in NDIS or childcare systems.
Our team comprised Associate Professor Wendy Stone (Project Lead), Dr Sharon Parkinson, Dr Andrea Sharam (formerly at Swinburne) and Liss Ralston. This project was undertaken as part of a linked research program investigating ‘Individualised Housing Assistance’, led by Professor Keith Jacobs at the University of Tasmania.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
This AHURI-funded research project looked at housing affordability in Australia through the lens of a budget standard method rather than the conventional 30/40 rule. The budget standard method determines a necessary budget for living and then calculates what is left for housing costs after all other necessary spending is met. Because different household sizes have very different budget requirements, the method is much more sensitive to the housing affordability issues of different household types. Using this method, our research looked at the scale of the affordability problem for all tenures generally and then for specific household types in each tenure. It then drew out the housing market and policy implications of the findings.
Our team comprised Professor Terry Burke and Liss Ralston.
Contact
Professor Terry Burke
This AHURI-funded research project researched the changing nature of home purchase for younger households over the period of 1981–2011.
The research focused on two major issues:
The degree to which younger households, particularly the cohorts aged 25–44 years, have experienced a contraction in home purchasing over the last 30 years.
The adaptive responses this generation has made to circumvent obstacles to ownership, particularly that of declining housing affordability.
Our research found that despite the constraints to purchase it has held up better than expected but the adaptive responses, such as taking on large debt or deferring purchase, have long-term risks. Our research is quantitative and, while completed for AHURI, further work is being undertaken to update findings in light of the major declines in affordability post–2011.
Our team comprises Professor Terry Burke, Associate Professor Wendy Stone and Liss Ralston.
Contact
Professor Terry Burke
+61 3 9214 8109
tburke@swinburne.edu.au
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
Resources
This AHURI-funded research project provided data and analysis on some of the major changes in, and major issues around, the Australian public housing system over recent decades.
The public housing sector has gone through major transformations in recent decades. Its original broad roles encompassing working family affordability, urban renewal, economic development and decentralisation have narrowed in focus to serve as a housing safety net for high needs households. Changes in funding levels, in eligibility and allocations policy, and asset management strategies have been major contributors to the recasting of the role of public housing, along with a paradigm shift in public policy from broad universalistic models of service delivery to highly targeted welfare models.
Using various quantitative data sources, our research documented the nature, timing and geographical implications of these changes and drew out the potential policy and program implications for the sector.
Our team comprised Professor Terry Burke and Dr Lucy Groenhart.
Contact
Professor Terry Burke
+61 3 9214 8109
tburke@swinburne.edu.au
Resources
Private rental is Australia’s most rapidly growing housing tenure, with 1 in 3 households now living in privately rented dwellings. This project delivers a 30-year review of key changes in the sector including institutional settings and population demand and a focus on those renting long term.
This two-year project (2014–2015), funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 50683, Category 1 Funding), utilised a multi-method research design to deliver a robust, quantitative account of answers to three key questions:
How has the private rental sector and characteristics of private renter households within it changed over time?
Who rents long-term in the private rental sector (10 or more years) and how does a longer-term rental feature in their housing pathways?
How do long-term private rentals relate to economic, social, health and housing outcomes — including for potentially ‘vulnerable’ households — over time?
Our team comprises Associate Professor Wendy Stone (Project Lead), Professor Terry Burke, Professor Kath Hulse and Liss Ralston.
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
Evidence indicates that problems associated with insecure housing can lead to failed tenancies and costly disruption both for households and governments (through the subsequent need for homelessness support interventions or entry into social housing). Although research has linked various types of life events with a range of housing-related disadvantage, systematic and holistic accounts of the types of life events that can undermine the capacity of tenants to manage private rental tenancies have been limited.
This two-year project (2014–2015), funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI 50683, Category 1 Funding), utilised a multi-method research design to assess whether targeted or integrated housing support for low to moderate-income private rental tenants at key transition points was likely to enhance their capacity to sustain tenancies and deter entry or re-entry to social housing or homelessness.
Our final report presents:
a conceptual framework linking critical life events (CLEs), housing shocks and insurances as a means of understanding tenant vulnerabilities in the context of the contemporary private rental sector, and delivers a profile of the incidence of CLEs and the resources available to households to manage them
analysis of the voices, views and perceptions of 76 low to moderate-income tenants living in three metropolitan sub-markets about key aspects of their housing experiences including housing insecurity, discrimination, financial management and mobility, in an interrogation of risks and support needs
an account of practitioner perspectives on the emerging types of support required by tenants to retain private rental housing successfully in a highly pressured housing market.
Our team comprises Associate Professor Wendy Stone (Project Lead), Dr Andrea Sharam (formerly at Swinburne) and Liss Ralston, with research collaboration from Dr Ilan Wiesel (formerly at UNSW) and Dr Sanna Markannen and Dr Amity James (both from Curtin University).
Contact
Associate Professor Wendy Stone
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There are many ways to engage with us. If your organisation is dealing with a complex problem, get in touch to discuss how we can work together to provide solutions. Call us on +61 3 9214 5286 or email cutransitions@swinburne.edu.au.