Poverty and Australian housing: findings from an Investigative Panel

/in

People experiencing poverty face increased risks to their health and wellbeing when they cannot access affordable housing.

High housing costs may further entrench some groups of people in poverty, while poor quality housing can make poverty outcomes worse, new Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) research has confirmed.

The research, ‘Poverty and Australian housing’, undertaken for AHURI by researchers from UNSW and Swinburne University of Technology examines the relationships between housing costs and poverty, and identifies policy changes that could alleviate the social costs of poverty.

Key Points

  • The crisis of adequate, affordable housing will lead to even worse outcomes for the more than three million Australians already living in poverty.
  • Australia’s shortfall in social housing has resulted in high levels of poverty in the private rental sector and many people in poverty do not have safe or secure housing.
  • Effective measures to increase the safety and security of housing are possible.

Report

Read Poverty and Australian housing: findings from an Investigative Panel.

You might also like
Victoria’s $5.3 billion Big Housing Build
Being homeless is no picnic
Ministerial Breakfast
A Liveability Framework to improve real life impacts for higher density homes
Australia is at a crossroads
Australia needs a social housing future fund
© 2026 Shelter WA. All rights reserved. ABN 43 436 576 540. Shelter WA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their ongoing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to the Elders past and present and emerging. We support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and our recognition and acceptance of your invitation to walk with you towards a movement of the Australian people for a better future.
Skip to content