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The AHURI Final Report focuses on the integration of housing policy, settlement planning, and disaster management in Australia, emphasizing the need for coordination and standardization of policies. The report highlights the importance of insurance companies in risk assessment and data sharing, as well as the role of building standards in building resilience to natural hazards. Improved communication, data sharing, and clear political priorities are essential for better integration and coordination among stakeholders. The report provides valuable insights and recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working in disaster management and housing policy to create safer and disaster-responsive communities. [Extracted from the article]

Anglophone countries are diversifying their responses to housing insecurity, decentring social housing and expanding use of market-oriented assistance that aims to promote "housing independence". Drawing on fieldwork in three Australian jurisdictions, this paper examines the impact of this shift for how housing assistance is allocated. We argue that allocations practices can no longer be understood as centred on the rationing of a single product – social housing. Rather, they nowadays perform a "social sorting" function that mimics those developed in consumer marketing, where personal information is collected to classify and segment consumers to match them to tailored "products". These practices sort households based on their "capacity for independence", aiming to maximize market engagement and reserving social housing for those with the most complex needs. We conclude that these sorting practices ignore both the realities of private renting in Australia (as elsewhere) and the self-defined housing needs of low-income households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the impact of housing assistance on the post-release pathways of people convicted of sex offences, in terms of a range of criminal justice outcomes and associated costs. Using linked administrative data from New South Wales government agencies, it compares outcomes and costs for two groups of formerly incarcerated sex offenders – one group who received public housing tenancies at some stage after their release, the other who only received private rental assistance. We find the public housing group had better criminal justice outcomes (e.g. fewer police incidents, court appearances, proven offences, days in custody and days on community-based orders) than the non-public housing group, achieved mostly at less cost to governments. The evidence, likely applicable in other jurisdictions with similar housing systems, strongly supports the increased provision of social housing to this group of ex-prisoners and, we hope, helps disarm the controversy that affects this area of policy in Australia and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn early 2020, while China’s centralised governance response rapidly brought COVID-19 under control, tenure inequality and private rental sector precarity continued unabated. Drawing on stakeholder interviews in Shanghai, nation-wide renter complaints analysis, and a review of government pandemic reactions, this paper reveals the stark contrast between the neglect of renters’ rights and stringent public health measures. Under this prevailing governance model, renters’ wellbeing – including the right to secure occupancy – was effectively over-ridden during the COVID-19 emergency. This approach will have further degraded the reputation and appeal of rental tenure, detracting from state aspirations for greater equality between renting and owner-occupation – the Chinese Government’s ‘tenure neutrality’ initiative, ongoing since 2017. The study highlights how pandemic responses exacerbated existing housing inequalities and argues for proactive government commitments to protect marginalised populations’ secure occupancy and avoid accentuating tenure inequality during crisis periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing Policy in Australia: A Case for System Reform Palgrave Macmillan, Switzerland, 2020, 388pp., paperback, $127. Outside observers might regard Australia as a country in which housing problems should be [...]

The AHURI Final Report titled "Getting off the waiting list? Managing housing assistance provision in an era of intensifying social housing shortage" examines the effectiveness of housing assistance in Australia, particularly in relation to the social housing waiting list. The report highlights the growing emphasis on private rental assistance (PRA) as a means to alleviate pressure on waiting lists and provide temporary housing. However, the report also reveals that many applicants find the application process complex and communication inadequate. The report suggests policy development options to improve the housing assistance system, including tailored delivery of housing services and partnerships with private housing providers. [Extracted from the article]