The Social Relations of Australian Housing

Abstract

Good housing has a particularly important significance within Australian society, and housing-related industries figure largely within debates about the Australian economy. Many local commentators, however, seem unaware of the distinctive nature of housing provision in Australia, and thus take very narrow perspectives, both on the analysis of housing and on the scope for change. It is thus particularly useful to put Australian public policy debates into a wider context. In addition, the distinctive nature of housing provision in Australia is of great value for international comparative housing studies, because Australia often provides a test case against which generalisations developed elsewhere can be evaluated.