The affordable housing conundrum: shifting policy approaches in Australia

Abstract

This article is set within the framework of the statutory planning mechanisms used to provide affordable housing in Australia, with specific focus on the State of New South Wales (NSW) as a case study. Revealed is a picture of ongoing ‘policy insecurity’ and stagnation – frequent readjustment and change that discloses ambivalence by government in acting on the need for affordable housing. Evident also is a perceptible shift over time in the public policy response to affordable housing, across a spectrum of potential government intervention approaches.