How do we house every Australian?

The UQ Global Leadership Series invited a panel of experts, including Eloise Atkinson, Professor Cameron Parsell, Associate-Professor Maree Petersen and myself as moderator, to discuss research into the growing housing crisis, the root causes of housing insecurity, and the barriers to affordable housing.

The question of how to house every Australian is 234 years old.

The year 1788 marked the beginning of homelessness in this country, as home was stolen from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by the British colonisers. Home is much more than the built structure; it is about a feeling of belonging, safety, empowerment, cultural adequacy and security. Since colonisation, policies addressing a lack of housing have shifted over time. Although Australia signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which includes the right to adequate housing, today there is still no coordinated plan for addressing the structural issues that cause a lack of housing and make particular individuals and groups susceptible to homelessness.

To understand the impact of rising house prices, housing insecurity and how we can move toward a future where all Australians enjoy the security of a stable home, you can listen to an audio recording of the panel here. The discussion covers some sobering insights but ultimately the uplifting message that we do have the knowledge, skills and ability to house every Australian - if we choose to!