Small-area analysis and projections of social housing change

Public housing asset optimisation, including disposal and subsequent relocation, is a standard for fundraising across Australia. This is variously due to increasing cost of maintaining ageing housing assets; policy aims reducing public housing concentrations and locating housing in higher amenity areas; growing popularity of mixed-tenure schemes; and a broad lack of consistent funding for new stock. While this process creates an income stream now, it is not future focused.

This data project will explore public housing net change over 2006–2021 per SA1 in Australian capital cities and regional areas. It will consider local area trends, concentrations, density, amenity and potential stock transfers to understand future scenarios and policy directions. 

The research will address the following questions:

1. What was the small-area net social housing volume, dwelling structure and locational change across capital cities and regional centres 2006–2021?
2. What is the current profile of social housing in terms of built form and location, in relation to service access, socio-demographics, land value, amenity, and did this change 2006–2021?
3. At current rates of change, what built form will public housing have and where will new concentrations/depletions be over the next 10 and 20 years?
4. What can be expected in terms of land value, density and amenity across cities and regions at a neighbourhood scale, and what are the optimised sell off and retention rates to maximise benefit for the future?

Lead Researcher: Dr Stephen Glackin, Swinburne University of Technology

Project Number:  51326