This research examines the consequences of COVID-19 for households in regional Australia, and considers that post-pandemic recovery models designed for large cities may not work in regional areas or less-urbanised states.

This research examines the role of local government engagement and coordination in 21st century Australian metropolitan governance. It focusses on the role of local governments in cooperation with one another, the state governments and other actors at the metropolitan scale.

This research examined the barriers and challenges within the housing system for delivering housing supply that is more diverse in terms of size and built form; tenure; development model; and affordability level.

This research examines possible cost-effective reforms of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) that could improve housing outcomes for low-income renters. CRA is payable to households who qualify for specified social security payments and are renting from private landlords, community housing providers or Indigenous housing organisations, and are paying more than a minimum rent threshold.

With the construction industry long being held up as an ideal mechanism for delivering economic stimulus in periods of economic recession and stagnation, this research assesses how the housing industry can help rebuild the Australian economy both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Domestic and family violence is the largest driver of homelessness for women and children in Australia. Over the past decade Australian governments have invested in significant legislative, policy and service reforms to mitigate the impact of domestic and family violence for women and children. Little, however, is known as to the impact of these reforms on Aboriginal individuals and their families and their relationship to housing. This research therefore examines how housing and other service responses need to be improved to meet the needs of Aboriginal individuals and families in the aftermath of domestic and family violence. It draws on data from a rapid evidence and policy review; as well as qualitative interviews with nine Indigenous women service-users and 30 stakeholders including policy makers and service providers, in two regional cities in New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

Considering social housing as infrastructure may improve investment in the sector, as well as increase transparency and efficiency in project appraisal and funding prioritisation. It explored different methods of calculating the benefits of social housing relative to cost, including the savings that might accrue in other areas of government expenditure. The research also modelled ways to best finance and fund social housing, revealing that a capital investment strategy supplemented by efficient financing is substantially more cost-effective than a commercially financed model reliant on an operating subsidy.

This research was initiated in response to an expressed need amongst policy makers for a better understanding of both the operation of the SDA program and the attitudes of industry to investment and participation in that program. The research builds a deeper understanding of Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), established ‘to provide reasonable and necessary supports to people with a permanent and significant disability’ (NDIA c. 2016). The NDIS was developed due to documented inadequacies in support provision for Australians with disability, which meant that many people, especially those on low incomes, lacked access to the level of funding, services, housing and support required for them to live a decent life (Productivity Commission 2011; Hinton 2006).

This study looks at how short term letting (STL) platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway and Booking.com are reshaping housing opportunity in private markets. It analysed Airbnb listing data from Sydney and Melbourne to reveal insights into the extent STL is contributing to housing affordability issues and to highlight the most effective responses available to regulators.

This study investigated the Australian private rental sector (PRS) focusing on institutional change, including formal rules (policies and regulation); organisations and structures; and informal rules (social norms and practices). It also reviewed the PRS in ten countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.