Australian Housing Crisis and Caravan Parks: The Social Cost of Housing Marginality

Abstract

Australia faces a housing crisis, in the form of narrowing of access to social housing, homeownership and rental tenancies. The inaccessibility of traditional dwellings impacts most on those who are least able to compete for a home and increasingly signals marginal housing as an alternative option. Housing that is deemed to be marginal is characterised by culturally inadequate living conditions and insecure tenures. In rural Australia, marginal living commonly presents as caravan park dwelling. Based on empirical enquiry within rural caravan parks, my findings indicate that these homes are below acceptable Australian standards for permanent housing, and that those who are marginally housed within parks, live on the brink of primary homelessness. By reporting participant experiences of living in a caravan, this article explores the social consequences of inequitable and unstable housing circumstance.